Three years after the turn of this century, San Marino was nothing more than an obscure 600-acre ranch with canyons, hills and a small citrus orchard in the foothills east of Los Angeles. During that year, Henry Edwards Huntington purchased the ranch.
Huntington was a railroad tycoon and real estate developer with a vast financial empire in Southern California. Most of the ranch became nameless housing developments, but, fortunately, Huntington was a man of vision who saved more than one-third of the ranch and developed it into three superb cultural attractions. Each of these is spectacular in its own right, and together they become a world-class destination.The Huntington Library is a research collection of almost 4 million different books and manuscripts. It houses America's most complete collection of British and American literary and historical writings from the Middle Ages to 1850. Some of the rare manuscripts displayed are a Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare's first folio, and authentic drafts of the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution. Also displayed are Audubon's "Birds of America" and Benjamin Franklin's autobiography written in his own hand.
Three superb art galleries also grace the property. The Huntington Gallery has one of the finest collections of 18th and 19th century British art outside Great Britain. It includes Gainsborough's "Blue Boy," Lawrence's "Pinky" and major works by Reynolds, Turner and Constable. The Virginia Steele Scott Gallery of American Art includes American paintings from 1730 to the 1930s. The Arabella Huntington Memorial Collection includes Renaissance paintings and French tapestries, furniture, sculpture and porcelain from the 18th century.
The galleries are surrounded, framed and enhanced by one of the finest botanical gardens in the United States. The landscape actually consists of 15 specialized gardens arranged in a tranquil parklike setting. Several of these specialized gardens are among the finest of their kind in North America.
Five years after purchasing the ranch, Huntington retired at the age of 60 and turned his energy to his three passions in life - books, art and gardens. He enhanced his collections of rare books, collected significant works of art, and started development of superb gardens. He was not an absentee landlord who let others create his ideas. The grand mansion, which is now the main art gallery, was his home, and its rooms were made in London and shipped to California for installation. The garden developed under his watchful eye as he took a personal interest in its design and the selection of rare plants.
Under the care of William Hertrich, who served as the superintendent and adviser for 62 years, these massive gardens developed as carefully and as lovingly as a small cottage garden. They were intended to present art as a dynamic form and to create beauty in natural, ever-changing and inspiring ways.
"Dynamic" is a suitable adjective for these gardens. The mild climate allows more than 14,000 different kinds of plants to grow and flourish. The gardens are never without spectacular beauty although each has a season when it is most magnificent. Each time I visit, I think it could not be more beautiful than the time before, and yet, it always is.
The gardens cover 130 acres of the 207 acres on the grounds. They are skillfully arranged to allow overwhelming walk-throughs or give hours of more detailed observations. The large, massive vistas are created by thousands of plants artfully arranged and lovingly tended to create almost unparalleled beauty.
The individual gardens begin with spectacular beauty and crescendo with some of the finest collections of their kind in the world. While visitors may argue with my ranking of the gardens, all are worth seeing.
On entering the Huntington, a vast sweep of lawn creates a vista that overlooks several of the gardens. Many different kinds of trees grace this area as accessories to the statuary and buildings. The paths leading from this area to the art gallery emphasize numerous tropical plants including Birds of Paradise and an excellent collection of cycads, some of which are more than 500 years old.
The two camellia gardens form the largest public collection of camellias in the world with more than 1,100 different cultivars. The exotic blooms are best from December to May. The north vista is a vast expanse of lawn with an Italian Renaissance stone foundation at the end. The expanse is surrounded on both sides by hundreds of camellias and azaleas. Interspersed among these plantings are numerous stone statues dating from the 17th century that portray mythological subjects. The other camellia garden is more naturalized and located near the Japanese garden.
The Shakespeare garden covers over an acre and is filled with flowers for every season of the year. It contains only those plants cultivated at the time of Shakespeare.
The rose garden, is, in my opinion, the most spectacular of all the blooming gardens. In addition to spectacular blooms, it contains significant plantings covering more than 1,000 years of rose history. These plants include the medieval European roses and the year-round bloomers imported from China that provided the genetic material for our modern tea roses.
The first growing area is the large rose arbor with its spectacular climbing roses. At the height of the season, they cover the walkway enabling one to literally stroll under a canopy of these beautiful flowers.
Next to the arbor is the main rose garden that contains more than 1,500 cultivars and 4,000 individual plants. In full bloom, the beauty and the fragrance are almost overwhelming. The central portion of these gardens contains the modern rose including all the newest varieties.
The herb garden delights the nose as well as the eyes. The pungent herbs invite visitors to lean forward and inhale the fragrance of these unique plants. It is laid out in a formal pattern and sectioned according to the plant use. Included are herbs used in medicines, teas, cooking or salads, and those used in cosmetics, perfume or as dyes or insect repellents.
The skyline beyond the herb garden is graced by another beautiful arbor that supports climbing roses, jasmine and trumpet vines. Included in this small garden are numerous trees from the Mediterranean area as well as several specimens from Australia. This forms the boundary for the nearby Japanese Garden.
The Japanese Garden is skillfully isolated from the other gardens as it drops into a five-acre canyon. It is not visible until one enters the traditional entrance where the lion-dogs guard the gateway. The focal point is the pond spanned by the traditional moon bridge and framed by overhanging willows and wisteria. Like most Japanese gardens, the color comes from the trees as the camellias bloom in the winter or the flowering fruit trees bloom in the spring. A 16th-century Japanese home sits on the hill beyond.
Leading from the Japanese gardens is a zigzag bridge that connects to the Zen garden. This is a place for contemplation. On one side is a sand and rock garden that is raked to represent a flowering spring. Opposite this is a small garden that represents a forest. Just beyond them is a collection of bonsai trees and shrubs.
The Australian garden is a collection of hundreds of different plants from that continent. Most are native to a dry environment. The magnificent trees are showiest when they produce blossoms in late winter or early spring.
The subtropical garden is one of the most colorful areas from spring through late summer. Much of this collection is devoted to plants that are uncommon in North America. It contains an interesting collection of ground covers including many varieties of gazanias, cape weed from South Africa and the Acapulco daisy, which was introduced into this country by the Huntington gardeners.
The jungle garden contains plants that re-create the atmosphere of the tropical forest. Ferns, palms, gingers, bamboos and many members of the calla lily family flourish here. Ferns and bromeliads grow above the paths on the limbs and trunks of the trees just as they would in a tropical rain forest. The water flowing from the jungle garden creates a series of large lily ponds. These contain numerous interesting water plants including tropical water lilies as well as lotus and other aquatic plants. Most of the ponds are surrounded by tropical bamboos.
The palm garden contains one of the largest collections of different species in the United States representing more than 90 different kinds of plants from the small fan palm, the only palm native to Europe, to the towering native California plant.
To me the desert garden is the climax. Although not everyone appreciates desert plants, this is the largest and finest collection in the world. Within its 12 acres, the plants are skillfully arranged to include those from geographical areas throughout the world. The garden is not managed as a desert but includes some spectacular specimens. More than 2,500 different species are represented ranging from miniature living stones to giant saguaros and spectacular century plants that supposedly grow for 100 years, bloom and then die.
This garden may, to some, seem like visiting another world, but all are genuine, living, growing plants. Its unique beauty can always be appreciated, but a visit during blossom time in the spring is a superb experience.
The beautiful and showy gardens are just part of the horticultural work at the Huntington. The garden staff conducts research in the fields of its principal collections, especially the desert plants and palms. Plant propagation, hybridizing, test plantings and the development of a research herbarium are also done here.
The Huntington is indeed an experience to be savored. Anyone who visits will marvel at the beauty and the magnificent blending of the gardens, the art and the library. Among its 14,000 different kinds of plants, one can find beauty, peace and an overwhelming appreciation for the diversity of the botanical world. The first visit cannot and should not be the last as this wonderful masterpiece calls for visitors to return again and again.
If you go:
The Huntington is located 12 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108.
The hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1-4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is closed on Mondays and major holidays. Suggested contributions are $7.50 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and $4 for students 12 and under.
A get-acquainted slide show of the gardens is available at regular intervals. Docent-guided tours are also scheduled. For more information, call the Huntington at (818) 405-2100.