EPISODE 69: THE 10 MOST MEMORABLE BOTANICAL GARDENS LOCATED THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

In this week's episode of Living in the Sprawl: Southern California's Most Adventurous Podcast, host Jon Steinberg shares his list of 10 memorable botanical gardens to check out in Southern California. His list includes: Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks, Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar, Alta Vista Gardens in Vista, LA County Botanical Gardens and Arboretum in Arcadia, South Coast Botanical Gardens in Palos Verdes, Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills, Balboa Park Botanical Gardens in San Diego, Lotus Land in Montecito, Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Descanso Botanical Gardens in La Canada.

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Transcript

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Hello listeners and fellow explorers. This is living in the sprawls lovely and talented producer slash wife, Lisa Steinberg. I wanted to thank all of you for your continuous support of the show. As a new podcast on the scene, John and I self-support the logistics and research that go into the show. The number one way to support the show is to rate, review and share this podcast with everyone, you know, Many of you have been doing this and it has helped immensely. I also invite you to check out our website and the show notes for other ways to support the show. We are currently working with companies. We currently use ourselves. To get discount codes for our listeners and support the show in the process. These companies include. Every table, just CBD store, gold belly cats, botanicals, and so much more. By using the links on our website, you are letting them know we sent you an intern, supporting the show. You can also support us on Patrion and pod fan. Please check out the website@livinginthesprawlpodcast.com. For updates on companies we are working with our testimonies links codes and new living in the sprawl merchandise Again thank you to all of you our lovely listeners for tuning in every week and allowing us to do what we love Without further ado you're humble correspondent John steinberg Hello, and welcome to another edition of living in the sprawl. So the California's most adventurous podcast I am as always your humble host and correspondent. My name is John Steinberg. And I am joined by my lovely and infinitely talented producer slash my wife. Her name is Lisa Steinberg. We are the team here at sprawl enterprises. Ready to bring you get another exciting in throwing foray into the vast expansive terrain that we have lovingly decided to call the sprawl. On today's show. Let's talk about the garden. Let's talk about what's going on. In the proverbial back yard. An examination on the program. Of Southern California's most memorable botanical gardens. Roughly 10 years ago. I was fortunate enough to two were. The home. And. Gardens. Of. Famed. California botanist. Luther Burbank. I was struck during my visit. At the over 200. Plus. Fruits. Which had been. Invented by the horticulturalist. His contributions to. The world of plants. Appreciating them. Diversifying the overall playing field. And in general. Making the world a better place. For both plant and human species alike. At this point. I might have been so foolhardy as to suggest that, oh, gardening, that's like a habit for. Older women. It's not. It's part of the benefit of growing up really that you acquire wisdom as you do sacrifice. Some of your youth. As now. Alisa and I have. To word. The Southern California landscape. Stopping. Quite often. At some of our most notable botanical gardens. Now the first botanical garden. At least in the Western world. Is credited to the university of PISA in Italy, in the 16th century. Botanical gardens, which. From a definitional standpoint. Are there. To serve a multitude of functions, including education conservation, and. In general, the overall betterment of society. As some of those. European instincts translated. Over to the Western portion of the United States, California. Began to really present itself. As a hotspot for potato gardens. The Northern portion of the state has. An ample amount of such gardens. But those interested. In the Southern half of the state. Are in luck as the region. It's home to. A veritable bumper crop of excellent. Extremely memorable botanical gardens. So let's take a look. At what we believe to be the 10 most memorable botanical gardens. Located throughout the Southern California sprawl. I know for 10. Gardens of the world. This botanical garden. Hides in plain sight. In thousand Oaks. It's located. In a commercial district of the city. Down the way. From a massive shopping center. And Whitney of accessible restaurants. Now, this is not meant to be confused with the Conejo valley. Botanical gardens. This is something else. So the gardens of the world are a lush. Planters paradise. Boasting of plants from every corner of the world. The gardens of the world. Offer folks. The opportunity. To interact with plants native to Australia. Asia. And Africa. What gardens of the world. Lax in overall size it more. And then substitutes for in overall quality. This is the type of place that. To my mind. Would fit in better in. Something akin to a biodome scenario. In other words. There's no earthly way. That's such a lovely. Cornucopia. Of plants and flowers. From across the globe should exist. In basically downtown thousand Oaks. And sometimes with. Visiting botanical gardens. It can be difficult to find your footing, to know what you should be focusing on, concentrating your attention on, but here. Because. The gardens are. Of a smaller stature than others that we'll discuss on this list. You can get through the whole. Garden. In a relatively short amount of time. Beautiful. In a great way. To get your feet wet as it were. As. You attempt to. Bear witness to the best botanical gardens. That we have to offer here in Southern California. A great star to our list at number 10 gardens of the world hiding in plain sight in thousand oaks And number nine Sherman gardens. This is in the Corona Del Mar section of Newport beach. Located on the Pacific coast highway. This was the. The type of place that. Used to serve. As the site of many elementary school field trips. Being from the area. This was my first interaction. With. Sherman gardens. Another gorgeous example. Of an urbanized garden. That really has no business existing. Along a stretch of Pacific coast highway dotted with businesses like golden spoon yogurt. And Roth Childs. Upscale steakhouse. The gardens. We're named. For. Noted Los Angeles area developer. M H Sherman or Moses Sherman. Who Angelenos. Might recognize, or at least they'll recognize his name as being. The Sherman of. Sherman Oaks, the neighborhood in the San Fernando valley and the major thoroughfare in that same valley, uh, Sherman way. Arnold Haskell. gave the gardens, this name as. Moses Sherman had been his mentor. And after 1955. Sherman gardens. Became an integral part of the. A Corona Del Mar. Section of the city. Everyone. Hailing from the Newport beach area is familiar with Sherman gardens. And they are often. Sought out. For events like weddings. Reunions and other similar. The celebrations. Yet another example. Of truly amazing gardens. Hiding or right there in plain sight on the Pacific coast highway in Corona Del Mar number nine. Sherman library and gardens in newport beach And number eight. The Alta Vista gardens. This is in Northern San Diego county in the city of Vista. There's this. Whole portion of Northern San Diego county, that often goes unmentioned. We're talking about places like valley center. And Vista in addition to a number of other areas, We've touched upon Vista. In a prior episode, this is of course. Where the belching beaver. Brewery is headquartered. And the AltaVista gardens. Or another reason why. You should avoid skipping. Over this area on your next visit to. The San Diego area. The idea for the gardens. It was presented roughly 30 years ago. But they didn't become a reality. Until the last 15. Or so years. They serve that. All important educational function. As a staging ground for. Local. Students. As they. Pieced together. Their own relationships to. Horticulture plants, trees. And the rest of the surrounding environment. A number of different. Portions of the garden. Or of note. There are about. It's seven or eight different. Areas of the gardens that you can visit tour. And learn from. The AltaVista gardens is home to a world-class. Butterfly garden. And indeed. The whole. garden. Is chocked full of. Beautiful butterflies. A wonderful place. To learn about nature. Connect. With the greater environment. And brush up. On all things butterfly we recommend a visit to the alta vista gardens in san diego county in that often overlooked city of vista Number seven, the Los Angeles county Arboretum and botanical gardens. This is in Arcadia. And is one of what feels like. About a million. Different. Projects. Commissioned. By Henry Edwards, Huntington. Huntington. His second wife. Aira Bella. Called. What's now known as the Los Angeles county Arboretum, this whole area. Uh, they're home for the first couple of decades in the 20th century. And actually. For anyone. Unfamiliar with this area. When you visit, you will undoubtedly come face-to-face with wild peacocks. And this is because. Mr Huntington. Had peacocks. Flown in from India. As they were not native to the region. And they began. Breeding. And low and behold. A hundred years later. Peacocks. Rome. All portions of Arcadia. So in addition to the unforgettable. Array of plants. Trees and flowers. That you'll find. At the botanical garden. You will also. Get up close and personal with some wild peacocks. Additionally. Huntington's haunted. Supposedly haunted. Queen Anne style cottage. Is located. On the property. As are some barns. We're horses were bred. So as to be able to compete at the nearby Santa Anita. Racetrack. We're talking. Over a hundred acres worth. Of plants for you to behold, learn from feast your eyes upon. That are all on the grounds here at. The Arboretum and botanical garden. This is not your run of the mill. Kind of upstart. Underdog story. Local boy makes good. It's not that it's a massive. Property. With did I mention over a hundred acres? Incredible. Foliage for. You to investigate for yourself. I number seven. It's the Los Angeles county Arboretum and botanical garden. In Arcadia. And number six south coast. Botanical gardens. Located. In Palo's Virtus. This 87 acre. property. Both. Plants flowers and trees. From all across the globe. With particular emphasis placed on. Offerings from. Desert climates and. Oh, she Anik. Areas. There are some animals for youngsters. To have a bit of fun with. Flamingos for example. Call south coast, their home. And this has also been utilized as a filming location. No spoilers. But see the last couple of episodes of the second season of Dexter. To know what I'm talking about. Like. The Los Angeles county Arboretum. This. Botanical garden. Is often used as a venue for weddings and other such ceremonies. And on hand. You can walk away with some incredible plants. For yourself from their gift shop. As if the Palos Verdes peninsula or not breathtaking enough, they needed to go ahead. And also have the south coast of botanical garden. And number five, the Virginia Robinson. The gardens. At her former Beverly Hills, a state. This is one of those properties. Where you have to reserve a tour. Most likely on a weekend. And drive through. A ridiculous. Residential area in order to find. Only to realize that once you have parked your car, At the properties exterior. And neighbor. Is tapping your window. Stating you have to park inside actually inside the property. This is not part of the property. This is Beverly Hills. And, um, this is Beverly Hills. But if you find yourself so fortunate as to tour the Virginia Robinson home and gardens, you will be treated. To a. Wondrous. Hour and a half. Crammed. With lush vegetation. Remarkable. Flowers. And. Additionally a story that cannot be duplicated. Virginia Robinson. Widow. Of the Robinson from, you know, Robinson's may. Department store magnate. With something of. Uh, Beverly Hills matriarch. The estate is considered one of the first, if it's actually considered the first. Mansion. In. Kind of United States, Capitol of mansions, Beverly Hills. Virginia Robinson. Live to be in a relate nineties. And resided at the property until 1977. But she'd been a widow for going on 40 plus years at that time. So. Being a widow and being very interested in beautiful things. She decided. To turn part of her property into. A singularly. Resplendent. Garden. Again, you do need reservations and yeah, it's a little bit of a headache, but. Ultimately, if you do decide to take the tour. You'll learn a great deal. About the plants. On site. But also. A great deal about the history of Beverly Hills. And if you're thinking. Beverly Hills in history. Isn't that an oxymoron? Most of the time, I'd be inclined to agree, but in the case of this particular property, That is actually not the case. For a great. Trip into the past. Check out the Virginia Robinson home and gardens in Beverly Hills. And number four. The botanical gardens at Balboa park in San Diego. Now we've discussed. Belvaux park. On a couple of different episodes. Noting the museums. Located within. The grounds of the park. The zoo there's a lot going on at Balboa park. And the garden or gardens here are a little bit different than some of the others already mentioned on the podcast. There are. Just under 10, uniquely different. But equally awesome gardens. Scattered around. The enormous Belvaux park. There's the Zorro garden. There are sections devoted to. Japanese garden, Chinese garden. A desert garden. At the ball park. The botanical gardens cater to any and everyone in any conceivable mood. While, no specific. Of these gardens. Necessarily merit inclusion on the list, such as this in totality. They absolutely do. And they deserve to be this high. Beautiful. Of course fascinating. Yes. Expansive. Absolutely. The botanical gardens at Balboa park. Are surely not to be missed on your next visit. To this iconic all things to all people. Jim. Have a quote-unquote park. In San Diego, this being of course, Balboa park. Nothing quite like it. And number three. Lotus land. This is. Uh, home in. The Hills of Montecito. With the garden. Which was essentially passed down from one owner to another. And then. Amplified. And expanded upon. Over the course of many decades. A one time failed. Opera singer. Again, a waltz cough. Found herself. The owner. Of this. Fantastical property. After splitting from her sixth husband. The original owners of the property. A Mr. And Mrs. Stephens. Had initially. Take in. Part of the 37 acres on which the property exists. It turning. Them into. What at the time was considered a very modern chic. Botanical garden. But when. Ms. Wolf scoff. Inherited the property. She really blew out all expectations. Here. You've got plants. From south America. Africa Asia. And like the Virginia Robinson Homeland gardens. This is yet another. A situation where you're going to have to call, get a reservation. I won't say how much it costs, but the price is a little bit inflated. And there are only eight finite. Amount of visitors permitted. To enter the grounds in any given year. This is a residential property and well, when you're paying the kinds of property taxes, That the folks here. Or probably paying on a yearly basis. I would think you're kind of paying for this hassle sort of not to exist. On your block. But if you are one of the lucky and fortunate enough to tour. Lotus land you'll be treated. To incredible vistas. Stockpiled. With. Plants flowers and trees. That rival anything that you're liable to see. At any institution. In the United States. Lotus land is a special place. In a beyond charming setting. And if you could get yourself a reservation we recommend doing so, so that you can have the personal experience of touring. Lotus land. And number two. The Huntington. Library and botanical gardens in San Marino. This is the second time. Then we've been compelled to mention the exploits of one Henry Edwards, Huntington. As. This. Landmark. Property. Is home. To over 120 acres. Loaded. With the beautiful plants. And flowers and trees. And foliage. That you would expect from someone. So seemingly legendary in the animals. Of Southern California history. The Huntington. Has an unparalleled collection. Of manuscripts documents. And works of art. But it's maybe the gardens. That give the place. Their reputation. As. A singular destination for all things. Of the finer sphere in life. Plants native to nations, such as China, Australia. Japan. Brazil. They're all represented in due course. On site here. And it's interesting. If you kind of study the. St Gabriel valley. This area, because we've already talked about. Arcadia. Now we're mentioning San Marino. There's a lot of space. In this particular part of the sprawl. Dramatically different from. An area like the gateway cities, Downey. QT. E Santa Fe Springs. That whole part of the sprawl. Here there's room. For a project such as this to really exist. And for visitors that don't have a great deal of time. To spend here. You could. Visit. Multiple botanical gardens in the same day as they are not that far apart. Getting more air time then. One might imagine he deserves. It's henry edwards huntington's huntington botanical gardens At number one. The Descanso gardens. In locking Jada Flint bridge. This is just one of the most beautiful places, anywhere in Southern California, the type of location where you could take your mother, your father, your grandmother, you can make it a whole family outing. If you so desired and everyone would sort of come away. Extremely happy. Gorgeous. Plants. Exceptional flowers. Trees and odes to nature. That you just won't find anywhere. In a city as developed as Los Angeles. Descanso gardens. Exists to remind us. Of what's possible. For anyone that grew up gardening. Going to environmental nature centers. Or anyone that just had a bug collection growing up, something as expansive and wonderful as Descanso should be. A requisite part of any visit to the area. We're talking. 150 acres. Worth of loveliness on hand at Descanso. Even if you wanted to survey the entirety of the grounds. Uh, you couldn't do that in. Just one day you would need multiple days. If you wanted to see absolutely everything. But even if you're there on a quick jaunt. You can still. Gain eight. Deep appreciation. For all things nature. And as was already mentioned on the podcast. Locking Jada Flint Ridge, not that far from San Marino in Arcadia. So, if you really, uh, we're short on time, you could knock. All of those out in one day, if you were just trying to really see the highlights and see the basics. But for the real botanists in your party. This. Over any other spot. Is the first place. That should be incorporated. On your sprawl botanical garden. Itinerary. That's going to do it for another installment of the show. We'd like to thank everyone for their continued support. It does mean the world to us, hop on apple iTunes, wherever you listen to the show, leave us a five star rating and a kind review that stuff really has an outsized impact on the life cycle of a podcast. Or Instagram handle is living in the sprawl. And we invite any and all of your feedback. Drop us a line@livinginthesprawlpodcastatgmail.com. And we'd like to direct you again to our phenomenal website and it's on the website. That you can get your hands on a copy of the living in the sprawl guide. So that you don't have to go combing through old archived episodes of the show. Scouring. All in search of that one specific restaurant recommendation. You vaguely remember hearing like a year ago. I don't do that. Save the time, get the living on the sprawl guide in stead. And while you're there. Check out our merchandise. We have. Some terrific merchandise on that website. Magnets. Seriously elegant mugs. All of them can be yours. By checking out. The living in the sprawl website. So it's on behalf of myself. I am as always your humble correspondent and host. My name is John Steinberg. Joined by my lovely and talented producer slash my wife. Her name is Lisa Steinberg. We are the team here at sprawl enterprises, thanking you from the bottom of our hearts for listening to yet another episode of living in the sprawl, Southern California's most adventurous podcast. Talk to you guys very soon.