Here are just a few more photos left over from my post yesterday on the Huntington’s recently-opened Chinese Garden. I mentioned how there were many layers to the spaces there. The following are some of the doors and windows in… Read More »framing the garden view
On the way up to Los Angeles we had a chance to make a quick stop at the Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Their Chinese garden, Liu Fang Yuan, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, opened to the public just last year. Fund-raising is ongoing for a second phase of construction, and the plants that are there are still on the young side. Still, it’s not too early to take a look at what’s being billed as the largest garden of its kind outside of China.
Two stone lions guard one of the alternate entrances into the garden.
Hand-carved stonework and elaborate hardscape details figure prominently in the garden’s design. It’s worth taking your time to appreciate the details close up.
This walkway resolves to the adjacent planting in swooping tiled edges.
Patterns made from pebbles fixed in cement take several forms. Here’s one design.
…And a detail of another designs…
…And an overview of yet another of the patterns using pebbles.
These hardscape details are dense and busy. Plantings are also fairly dense, with many kinds of plants used in a small space. Move a few feet in any direction and your view of the garden changes radically.
The overall effect is kaleidoscopic, and the garden encourages active engagement with the space.
Read More »new huntington chinese garden