Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Huntington Succulent Garden - Finally!

I've been trying to get to the Huntington Botanical Garden in L.A. for years and finally managed to get there last week while we were on a trip for my son's spring break. We all had a fantastic time. I was overjoyed to have the visit coincide with the perfect photography weather. I made a bee line for the succulent section, and it is definitely the best succulent garden I've ever seen. Amazing specimens, amazing combinations, amazing, amazing, amazing!

I've tried to distill my photos down as much as I could. There are a lot so I'll get started.

huntington aloe treeshuntington aloe speciosahuntington chorisia speciosahuntington chorisia speciosa bulbous

huntington agave aeonium

huntington succulents

huntington succulents2

huntington beaucarnea recurvatahuntington succulents3huntington aloeshuntington agave attenuata x shawii and euphorbia

huntington barrels and agaves

huntington mystery puyahuntington dyckiahuntington echinopsis flying saucerhuntington puya chilensis

huntington puya chilensis setting

huntington aloehuntington dasylirionhuntington mystery puya greenhuntington cussonia paniculata

huntington succulent color

huntington cacti snakes

huntington barrelling barrelhuntington purple prickly padhuntington purple pricklyhuntington succulent paths

huntington crazy succulents

huntington succulent waves

huntington mammalarias

huntington thorny limehuntington aloe ramosissimahuntington tall succulentshuntington tall succulent stripes

huntington succulent textures

huntington succulent textures 2

huntington dragon tree

huntington succulent layershuntington acacia

I was disappointed they didn't have plants for sale. I was really hoping to take home something nifty. I was impressed with my self-restraint though, by keeping my hands to myself and not "liberating" any cuttings. There were a few trailers that no one would have noticed a piece missing...but I was good. :)

Stay tuned for my next posts about the other parts of the Huntington, including the awesome kids' garden.

12 comments:

  1. I SO wish I had known you were coming here. I was out of town filming GGW in NC I would not have been able to show you myself... but very close to the Huntington Garden is an awesome cactus/succulent nursery with tons of unusual plants. It was about 10 minutes away!! Ugh!

    Next time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aww, rats! That would have been great to see that nursery. Well, I'm definitely going back to the Huntington, there were so many parts I didn't get to see. I'll get the info from you when I do. Hope you had a good time in NC. I saw some of ya'lls' photos from there. (Yes, ya'lls' is a double apostrophe word, I'm from Texas and I can take liberties with the English language like that.) :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I never tire of Huntington photos, and yours are gorgeous. Isn't it just heaven on earth? Theresa must be talking about California Cactus Center? Also amazing. We saw both on the same day. I was in spiky paradise!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's all bristly texture and waving arms, so very Dr. Seussian. I'd love to see it in person, but your pics must be the next best thing. They're gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What Pam said. However -- and I just got back from Texas, so I can say this -- it should be "y'all's". Unless it's plural, in which case "all y'alls' "

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Pam! The Huntington folks grow everything so beautifully.

    Max - I've always spelled it ya'll but I'm starting to think y'all is probably much more "correct". I've got to hear how your TX trip went, hopefully you found plenty of good BBQ!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Danger Garden - California Cactus Center, huh? I'll have to check that out. I did make it to Big Red Sun in Venice Beach, but was disappointed with their nursery selection. The one in Austin is much better.

    ReplyDelete
  8. These are truly other-worldly images. I look forward to the other Huntington posts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It has been years since I have been there also. I really need to go and now seeing your beautiful photos my engine is ready to go. Hopefully this summer. My mother in law lives in South Pasadena so I should go. Wonderful blog!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for sharing your photos. I would love to see the gardens for myself but planning a transpacific visit is easier said than done. I can just enjoy the plants through you and Far Out Flora.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fantastic images! I suggest a series of notecards be made of these. I really wish HBG were open earlier or later -- I'm always there mid-day and might as well throw the camera in the trash. I thought the kid's garden was really cool too -- can't wait to see what fun you guys had there.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Denise - They do have short weird hours. I think that is why I'd never been able to visit before. I must have looked like a crazy person I was so ecstatic to get to photograph the succulent garden in such nice light.

    I really have the light and the wonderful gardeners and garden creators to thank for any good photos. The layout of that garden is so wonderful I probably could've pointed the camera in any direction and gotten a good shot.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.