Insert description for Mr. Huntington’s Garden.
You need to visit the Botanical Center over the next week or two if you want to catch sight of the newest irises in town. At the end of last week, we hosted the annual American Iris Society National Convention, and attendees came to see the “guest” irises that we … Continue reading
Another post in a series about Mr. Huntington’s Garden by the botanical director of The Huntington. Large-scale geological features take time, like millions of years. Natural streams and waterfalls emerge after tens of thousands of years of weathering, erosion, and plant colonization. But if you are in a hurry, a … Continue reading
This is the time of year for a lobelia that produces glowing spikes of cardinal-red flowers that beckon Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. Continue reading
What do you do when someone retires after dedicating 28 years to the Gardens? This was the situation last week when Clair Martin stepped down from his position as the Ruth B. and E. L. Shannon Curator of the Rose and Perennial Gardens. Continue reading
Perhaps the most significant plants we tuck into the landscape are trees, which give structure and bring a sense of permanence. As gardeners, however, we know that nothing is really permanent. Continue reading
Almost everything that a gardener likes about a wonderful soil is pretty much what an engineer hates. Where a gardener wants great organic content, engineers find the organics to be a problem, because they don’t compact well. Continue reading
Yoshiaki Nakamura and four fellow craftsmen arrived from Japan this past Sunday to demonstrate how to organize and assemble the Japanese Garden’s renovated, Seifu-an, a most extraordinary small building. Continue reading
We are in the midst of discovery, and it turns out that the greatest mysteries are often right under our feet. As gardeners, we are accustomed to that. But this past week it was not roots and shoots at the core of our mysteries; it was pipes and walls and footings. Continue reading
After months undergoing restoration in Kyoto, Seifu-an has arrived. Our teahouse sort of looks like the most complex kit you might ever purchase at Ikea. Thankfully, Yoshiaki Nakamura and his craftsmen (who completely restored this building during its sojourn to Kyoto) arrive soon to help us learn how it is properly assembled. Continue reading
Plant diseases can be a “so what” kind of thing. But how many of us will miss oranges, lemons, and limes if they completely disappear from our diets? California is being closely monitored for a bacterial disease that could severely damage citrus orchards. For the meantime, The Huntington’s citrus has not been affected. Continue reading