Hidden in plain sight
SEEKING A BIT OF NATURE? DON’T OVERLOOK THESE GARDENS AT STADIUMS, MUSEUMS AND EVEN GAS STATIONS.
DID YOU KNOW L.A. has landscaping rules for gas stations? Yes, gas stations (what could be more ungreen?). In 1996, city planners rolled out rules requiring at least 5% of a station’s “vehicular use area” to be landscaped “with one 24inch size tree for each 250 square feet of interior landscaped area or fraction thereof.” (Smaller areas may be allowed if “horticulturally more appropriate.”) I have to admit I’ve seen some inspired minigardens and planters brimming with f lowers while pumping gas. Bottom line: You can find greened-up spaces where you least expect them. Here are six places not known for their gardens that are worth rediscovering.
Dodger Stadium: Dodger fans likely don’t know the stadium at 1000 Vin Scully Ave. doubles as a botanic garden, complete with tags listing common and botanical plant names. “The slopes and giant concrete martini-shaped planters around the stadium have been transformed into beds of fragrant salvias, agaves of multiple colors and size, and bouldersized century plants sending their towering blooms into the sky,” in the words of a March Times story. “The boxes outside the Dodgers Team Store at the Top Deck are overf lowing with succulents of every color.” It’s the inspiration of 36-yearold landscape manager Chaz Perea, who spent five years fulfilling requirements so that the stadium could become the country’s first sports arena with an accredited botanic garden. Opening day is just ahead. The garden will be waiting. Tours are Fridays at 10 a.m.; $25 for adults.
SoFi Stadium:
Football? Yes. Sleek landscape? Yep. L.A.’s newest landmark stadium at 1001 Stadium Drive in Inglewood put its gardens and green spaces front and center. The greening includes the stadium and nearby Lake Park. It was a big job transforming “12 acres of public green space surrounding a six-acre lake, as well as myriad landscape elements around the stadium,” a February Times story said. “Mini-botanical gardens — complete with didactics that explain what every plant is and where it comes from — hug the southeastern edge of the lake. Around the stadium, plazas are flecked with jagged fingers of garden lined with benches that provide game-day spectators a place to rest, as well as spots to hang out at times when the stadium is quiet.” You can see it all when you attend a game or event, or you can tour the stadium; tickets start at $30.
SuihoEn Japanese Garden:
The Japanese Garden at 6100 Woodley Ave. in Van Nuys is one of the places I seek out when I crave a quiet, serene landscape.
It’s also the site of a wastewater treatment plant. Really. The garden is small — just 6½ acres — with islands of green and a Zen meditation garden. It’s a place to stroll and savor the views and the vibe — no rushing allowed. It’s also a “chisen”style garden, meaning water is vital to its design as “a symbol and expression of the sea,” according to the garden’s website. Where does the water come from? The nearby Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, which treats 40 million gallons of wastewater every day.
The garden recently reopened with free admission, though reservations are required.
Autry Museum’s Ethnobotanical Garden: The outdoor garden at the Autry Museum of the American West at 4700 Western Heritage Way in Los Angeles serves as a microcosm of the surrounding Griffith Park (and parts of greater California). It’s also a great shady reprieve on a scorching hot day. The small space, just 7,000 square feet, is packed with 60 native plant species, as well as a little pond, waterfall and a native oak tree. The big basalt rock columns — meant as a nod to Devils Postpile National Monument in the Eastern Sierra — steal the show. You’ll be thinking about volcanic rock formations while walking past Catalina cherry, wild strawberries and elderberry. Use this little garden as a place to learn how to identify California plants and think about the geology of L.A. and the state. For starters, take a digital tour of the garden, then visit in person (museum admission is $14 for adults).
Kyoto Garden at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in downtown L.A.: Kyoto Garden at 120 S. Los Angeles St. opened in 1977, long before rooftop bars were a thing in L.A. Stepping outside the third f loor of the hotel to discover the secret half-acre garden takes you into a world of ferns and f lowers amid dripping rock walls and a boulder-lined path to an enclave of trees (yes, full-size trees). What I love most is the complete disconnect with downtown L.A. By the way, the hotel was originally the New Otani Hotel & Garden, which became the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens and later the DoubleTree by Hilton. Today, the Kyoto Garden is used for weddings and other events but is also open to hotel guests and maybe a discreet hotel wanderer.
Getty Center gardens: The outdoor gardens are just about as impressive as the art at the hilltop Getty Center at 1200 Getty Center Drive. Like at the new SoFi Stadium, the gardens were not an afterthought. The Central Garden, which covers 134,000 square feet, was designed by California artist Robert Irwin. Plants change with the season, though I’ve pretty consistently seen a maze of azaleas surrounding a pool fed by a stream and stone waterfall. It opened with the center in 1997 and remains an ever-changing artwork. There’s also a cactus garden and other green spaces. Take the time for a free daily Central Garden tour (museum admission is free, though parking costs $20 and requires a reservation).
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