Entertaining Sites Around LOS ANGELES

“The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution established in 1919 by Henry E. and Arabella Huntington.

“Henry Huntington, a key figure in the development of Southern California in the early 20th century, was also an active collector of rare books and manuscripts, art, and plants. By the time he established the institution, he and his wife had amassed an extensive collection focusing on British and American history, literature, and art, as well as rare and spectacular plant specimens.”

Henry Huntington was an early entrepreneur and great investor who made his money in street railways, electric power, and real estate (after inheriting a railroad fortune from his uncle and marrying his uncle’s widow.) “By rapidly pouring vast amounts of capital into his triad of interrelated businesses, all critical for regional growth, he achieved a virtual monopoly over the development of many parts of the Los Angeles basin.” Notice the difference in tone? This quote is from ‘Henry E Huntington and the Creation of Southern California’.

“The new conservatory features four distinct “environments” created for different hands-on botanical exhibits including a Tropical Forest Rotunda, Cloud Forest, Carnivorous Plant Bog, and Field Lab. Living plant displays, water features, and interactive learning stations invite active exploration and discovery.”

These guys live in the cloud forest…

…and this is in the middle of the tropical forest.

More.

Looking up into the conservatory dome. That’s mist you’re seeing. They’ve taken the Tropical-Cloud-Rain forest ecology quite seriously. It’s wet in there!

“Inspired by the centuries-old Chinese tradition of private gardens designed for scholarly pursuits, Liu Fang Yuan, or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, combines the scenic beauty of nature with the expressiveness of literature to give deeper meaning to the landscape. A walk through its paths enriches the mind and spirit alike. The Huntington, with its renowned collections of art, rare books, manuscripts, and plants, was founded on this same philosophy by Henry E. Huntington in 1919.”

“Water (symbolizing the ever-changing) and rocks (the eternal) create harmony in the garden, balancing nature’s yin and yang. Weathered limestone rocks from Lake Tai line the water’s edge, evoking the craggy mountains of a Chinese landscape painting. Water creates an added visual dimension to the garden by reflecting the changing moods of the light, clouds, and sky.”

“Many of China’s great garden-builders were wealthy merchants with scholarly interests, and their gardens were places for literary and artistic activities such as poetry, painting, and calligraphy.”

There are many more interesting views too, for next time.

The Japanese Garden is very lovely including a furnished home to enjoy, a bonsai pavilion, and more.

“When Mr. Huntington asked William Hertrich, his garden superintendent, to look for plants to develop a Japanese garden, Hertrich approached George Marsh, an art collector and importer of Asian art objects. Mr. Marsh had opened a tea garden in Pasadena around 1904, which was not successful commercially. He offered to sell the contents of his establishment: plants, garden ornaments, and Japanese house.