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Getty Museum Gardens

Getty Museum Gardens  © 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 wonderful 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.

Getty Gardens Waterfall © Alice Joyce

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. foray 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.

 © Alice Joyce

Getty Garden Maze  © Alice Joyce

Irwin’s garden scheme is composed of a tree-lined walkway, streambed strewn with boulders, plaza and cascading waterfall, and a reflecting pool featuring a maze laid out with azaleas. Soaring, sculptural splayed constructions are fabricated of industrial rebar and festooned in bougainvillea. These volumetric steel bowers provide a spot to stop, rest, and take in the scenery.

Getty Plaza Pool © Alice Joyce

Water features are highlights of the Getty campus, bringing a lively energy to the gardens, and a refreshing ambiance to the main plaza that adds to an overall inviting atmosphere.

Getty Plaza Fountain © Alice Joyce

Robert Irwin’s Central Garden plan echoes a natural ravine in the existing topography, and features a rocky watercourse and ravine.

Getty Center Ravine Autumn © Alice Joyce

Tibouchina  © Alice Joyce

A favorite area I continue be drawn toward at the Getty represents the work of Olin Partnership, Landscape Architects. Their design of the Getty Museum’s Cactus Promontory presents an intriguing desert landscape, with the Los Angeles skyline providing a dramatic backdrop in the distance.

Getty Promontory  © Alice Joyce

The Getty Villa – Malibu …. on Alice’s Garden Travel Buzz

3 comments - (Comments are closed)   Los Angeles   , ,  
Botanical Gardens

Japanese Garden at The Huntington

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

Courtesy: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

After extensive renovation, the lyrical nine-acre stroll garden is revitalized and refreshed, from the koi ponds and moon bridge, to the iconic Japanese house. And a new feature will be unveiled: an authentic Japanese ceremonial teahouse set within the traditional landscape of a tea garden. You’ll find it located on a southwest ridge above the existing Japanese house. Built in Kyoto, the teahouse – Seifu-an (the Arbor of Pure Breeze) – was donated by the Pasadena Buddist Temple. The teahouse structure first traveled to Japan for restoration by Yoshiaki Nakamura, the architect son of the structure’s original craftsman.

Japanese House: Courtesy The Huntington

Landscape architect Takeo Uesugi and his son Keiji Uesugi oversaw the design plans for the Japanese Garden project, which includes a new waterfall.

Faux Bois Restoration Courtesy, The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens

The teahouse emerges as an important element in a picturesque vignette: Situated on a ridge, the building offers an exceptional vantage point to take in canyon views, along with the historic vista below.

A lasting memory of mine, and I expect of many visitors to the garden over the years, the magnificent Faux Bois (false wood) ornamental trellises have been renovated, and the Japanese Garden’s pathways improved to increase accessibility.

Zen Garden Ginkgos – Photo courtesy The Huntington

Year-round, The Huntington is an outstanding horticultural haven set apart by the brilliant landscape design of the many gardens. If you have not yet toured The Garden of Flowing Fragrance, the Chinese Garden is a truly unique landscape for California and the West Coast: A must-see!

Comments are closed   Botanical Gardens, Los Angeles, Southern California   , ,  
Land Art

Andy Goldsworthy, The Spire - Presidio of San Francisco

Goldsworthy – The Spire  © Alice Joyce

A U.S. National Historic Landmark taking in some 1500 acres of beaches and woodlands, open parkland, destination restaurants, a restored tidal marshland and breathtaking views from any number of vantage points, The Presidio of San Francisco also features a number of site-specific sculptures by artist Andy Goldsworthy.

Located near the Arguello Gate, west of Inspiration Point Overlook, Goldsworthy’s The Spire emerges in a clearing, where the park’s reforestation efforts are ongoing.  In this section by the Bay Ridge Trail, 150 dying trees have been removed. In 2008, the artist used felled mature trees to create the sculpture’s monolithic form. A quote from The Presidio web site offers insight into the artwork’s inspiration.

Goldsworthy’s ‘Spire’ © Alice Joyce

“The Spire tells the story of the forest, celebrates its history and natural rhythms, and welcomes the next generation of trees. It is a poetic reference to the forest’s past; as new young trees grow up to meet the sculpture, it will eventually disappear into the forest.” The forest we see today hearkens back to the 1880s, with pine and cypress trees primarily; a thriving natural habitat for wildlife. The reforestation goes hand-in-hand with restoration work on cliff side dunes, native plantings, and rare serpentine plant habitats. Be certain to check the calendar of events before visiting for tour and program information.

When touring the Presidio, be sure not to miss Goldsworthy’s permanent and most recent installation at the Presidio Officers’ Club ~ EARTH  WALL.

6 comments - (Comments are closed)   Land Art, National Parks, San Francisco   , ,  
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