Los Angeles

Getty Museum Gardens

Getty Promontory Photo © Alice Joyce

I visited the larger-than-life Getty Center soon after it opened in 1997, and was allowed to wander through the gardens before the campus opened for the day. It was a fabulous chance to study the design and appreciate the details. I’ve often returned to spend time touring the 110-acre hillside setting, set off by sparkling Roman travertine buildings which include the J. Paul Getty Museum. Many of the gardening world’s cognescenti were first drawn to visit and critique the controversial Central Garden, designed by artist Robert Irwin. On a recent L.A. jaunt to experience the garden in Autumn, I enjoyed the scent of roses, colorful Brugmansia & Tibouchina amid colorful stems and branches of deciduous Cornus cultivars, massed bright orange succulents, and dense plantings of society garlic embraced by clipped boxwood hedges.

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Botanical Gardens

Japanese Garden at The Huntington

Japanese House: Photo Courtesy The Huntington Library, Art Collecitons, and Botanical Gardens

One of the most beloved garden settings, The Japanese Garden at The Huntington Libarary, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens celebrates its centennial upon reopening April 11, 2012.

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Garden Touring

Urban Light by Artist Chris Burden

Chris Burden: Urban Light (Photo: Alice Joyce)

A sculptural installation by artist Chris Burden, this “forest of street lights” takes center stage on the LACMA campus.

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