Every garden holds a surprise though sometimes you have to really look for it because it is out of sight, down a path and across the water. This is exactly where I found this stone cottage. John & Lilla Leach lived the summers here in the early 1930’s while their larger home was being built. Lilla was a Botanist, graduating in 1908 from the University of Oregon. She taught science classes in the local high school. John was a Pharmacist and both were highly active in local civic affairs. But their passion was to go out in the woods to explore the plants around them They were assisted in this adventure by their two burros, Pansy and Violet. “It was during these excursions that Lilla Leach discovered two previously unclassified genera of plants and more than a dozen species in her decades of work”(Leach garden website) Lilla was particularly interested in the native plants of Oregon. As a trained scientist she was attentive to the smallest details of the plant variations.
Category: Pacific Region, US
Carl S English Jr Botanical Garden,
Carl S English Jr Botanical Garden, on the ground of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Shipping channel locks designed by Hiram M Chittenden in 1906. I came to see the garden which has an especially unique origin. English came to the Army Corp of Engineer base in 1931 to work as a groundskeeper for the Army parade lawn. Carl & his wife were both botanists and loved plants. He wanted to plant things to create a garden around the parade ground, but there was no expectation to have a garden on the base and no money for plants. Still he and his wife would travel out to the local forest and around the area and collect seeds. Then he would grow the plant in a small container from seed. He began to transplant the small starts into the landscape. He then had more local seeds than he could grow so he began writing letters offering seed exchanges with other gardeners. He sent letters all around the world and exchanged seeds. He even obtained the seed for a dawn redwood, a native of the northwest but extinct there. He received a seed for the tree from China and he reintroduced the tree in Oregon. After 20 years the plants had grown into quite a lovely garden. It was the late 50’s and local garden clubs were admiring and helpful in the garden. College horticultural students came to study the over 500 plant species and 1500 varietals of plants Carl and his wife had added to the garden. The top brass of the Army Corp engineers came too but not to admire but to demand that the large lawn parade field be returned to its original state. Carl had clearly followed the “act first, ask permission later philosophy” in growing his garden. The grounds were cared for, but enriched and loved way beyond a plain lawn. Fortunately the beauty of the place and the community attachment to the garden allowed tempers to mellow and the garden continued to grow. When English retired in 1974 after 43 years in the job the garden stood as a masterpiece and is the only garden in all 195 army corp engineer locations. Guess the top brass stopped that nonsense!
70 Years a Gardener, Cactus Garden, Lotusland, CA
When I first moved to Phoenix, AZ I purchased a package of saguaro cactus seeds from the gift shop of the Desert Botanical Garden. As a transplanted Midwesterner I was eager to grow these curious and fascinating plants. Reality gradually set in – the seeds didn’t survive and I’ve not considered growing cactus from seeds since. This was not the case for Merritt “Sigs” Dunlap, also a transplant, from the Midwest to California. An engineer by training he clearly like figuring things out, and his after work focus was growing cactus, especially from seed.
Madame Ganna Walska’s Lotusland
In the wonderland that is California, Madame Ganna Walska’s Lotusland is as Walska herself put it: “out of this world.”
Ganna Walska was a fascinating, exotically beautiful opera singer. Born in Poland in 1887, her mother died when she was only nine, she lived with relatives until she fled Poland for Russia. By age 20 she had married a Russian Count. She began singing opera to gain the attention of another very wealthy Russian. She created her stage name “Ganna” a Russian form of Hannah, added “Walska” for her love of waltzing, and Madame came as a title given to known opera singers and actresses of the time. The first half of her life was devoted to her singing, her marriages, (six in total), a career which included her very own theatre in Paris, her own special scent and a spiritual quest for personal fulfillment. Men pursued her and her many marriages added to her fortunes.
Zest for Life
Sitting on a Paris bench in May I was enjoying a view of the Eiffel Tower. The beds of the park had been freshly dug exposing the rich dark soil and I knew colorful summer plants would be arriving soon. An elderly woman came walking through the grass pulling her shopping cart. She stopped at the flower bed. In the bright light of day she removed her red trowel and a plastic shopping bag. Bending over she began carefully filling the bag with fresh soil.
Trees Drop Stuff!
The season changes and the leaves of summer’s lovely shade begin to fall, prompting a collective groan as gardeners from the east coast to the west reach for the rake. Falling in red, yellow and brown, the leaves float down, crackling underfoot as you walk along. Yet you might count yourself lucky if leaves are all your trees drop.
Down the Garden Path
Walking a path into a new garden is an exciting moment filled with anticipation. Map in hand, you scout the areas and choose the path you will follow. You are ready to enjoy new sights, sounds and smells.. Before you charge ahead after looking down at the map, look further down and notice the path!
Virginia Robinson Mansion & Gardens
It is hard to say anything but wow, fabulous, amazing, stunning, beautiful and say it over and over and over as you tour this garden and take a brief look inside this Beverly Hills Mansion built in 1911. The docent tells you of dinner parties with Mae West, Charlie Chaplin and other famous guests hosted by Virginia Robinson. Virginia Robinson lived nearly to 100 years and her gardens were her constant opportunity to create something beautiful. At one point she was assisted by a staff of 17 gardeners but it was her design eye that created the space. There is the formal Italianate garden with pool and lawn the sight of many grand parties. The great surprise is the tropical palm garden with a mature grove of over 100 Australian King Palms. Here Virginia would slip away to read among the under canopy plantings of gingers and clivias and plumaries in the cool shade. For her love of entertaining she had a rose cutting garden, from which she had flowers for the table, and a Potager garden providing fresh herbs and vegetables for her classically trained chef. This garden is a gem lovingly cared for by volunteers and the LA County Dept. of Parks & Rec.
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, Claremont CA
This private non-profit garden/arboretum supports the graduate botany program of Claremont Graduate University. There is a grand selection of California natives in their natural state. The variety of oaks, including live oak, huckleberry oak, majestic oak makes for many happy squirrels. The Coulter Pine produces pine cones once called “widow makers” by lumberjacks because the weight of the cone, some as much as 40lbs., could end a life if you were cracked on the head. The cones when open are as sharp and fierce as bear claws. July is a dry month for a visit but it gives you a clear understanding of how fire can race up a hill and engulf everything in its path. The monarch butterflies gather at the orchid tree’s purple and white blooms. The hummingbirds feast on the pride of madeira’s purple spikes of bloom. Trees are featured here with a fan palm oasis of trees rising 70’ in height and with the spent leaves hanging in a thatch. Wandering through this shaded natural area is a great walk after a long drive. The multi colored flagstone path is a beautiful pattern of colors and shapes.
Self Realization Lake Shrine Meditation Garden
When the intense heat of summer kicks in we find ourselves hiding from the sun. Physically the heat slows us down, it strains our brain and finally our spirits wilt. We need our garden for green and shade, with a bit of water rippling by and a breeze to cool us down. Hopefully you find this right outside your back door, if not search for it in your travels.