The Huntington Library

Visiting The Huntington Library Is Always a Treat

Tea And A Stroll With The Finch's March 23rd 2015

We departed home at 10:55 and arrived at the Huntington right around noon!  Perfect timing as Sue was able to get our Tea Room reservations pulled forward and we walked right in!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
There is loads still underway at the Huntington

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The new entrance is open!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The magnolias let us know that Spring has sprung!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Mother Nature is just amazing

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Hawthornes were magnificent

Did You Know? - The best known species is Rhaphiolepis indica (Indian Hawthorn) from southern China, grown for its decorative pink flowers, and popular in bonsai culture. Rhaphiolepis umbellata (Yeddo Hawthorn) from Japan and Korea has blunter leaves and white flowers. It is the hardiest species, tolerating temperatures down to about -15 ?C.[citation needed]

The fruit of some varieties is edible when cooked, and can be used to make jam, but some ornamental varieties bear fruit that is of no culinary value.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The pomegranates were in full bloom

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
California poppies were staring right at the Sun

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The overheads are finally done after almost a year of restoration

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Rose Garden was beautiful and the scents wafted through the air

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The climbing roses were in full gear!

Did You Know? - Most Climbing roses grow anywhere from 8'?20' in height and exhibit repeat-bloom. Rambler roses, although technically a separate class, are often lumped together with climbing roses.

They also exhibit long, flexible canes, but are usually distinguished from true climbers in two ways: A larger overall size (20'?30' tall is common), so is a once-blooming habit.

Climbing and rambling roses are not true vines such as ivy, clematis or wisteria because they lack the ability to cling to supports on their own and must be manually trained and tied over structures such as arbors and pergolas.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Tea Room was ready for us!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Plenty of goodies to select from!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
"Spot of tea Old Chap?"

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
We polished off a mess of these little guys

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The teapot weighed a ton!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Baby bok choy, mushrooms, beans.... All sorts of goodies

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
We had a delicious meal before doing our walk

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
It was a beautiful day

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
We are off and running now

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Kitchen Garden is right outside the Tea Room and is full of all
the herbs and salad goodies needed in a kitchen

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The arbor leads to the gully where the Japanese Garden is located

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Julia Child Rose.... Named by Julia Child
because she thought it was the color of butter

Did You Know? - Julia Carolyn Child (born McWilliams; August 15, 1912 ? August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Sue agrees!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Looks just like a tub of butter

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Jan, Sue, and Brian walking the gardens

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Sue's jacket was a perfect match for the gardens

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Brian was amazed at the peas being so big

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Jan brought the "flat camera".... The iPad is perfect for the garden!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Great times with great friends

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The kale was doing well even in the heat of the day!

Did You Know? - Kale or borecole (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group) is a vegetable with green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms of vegetables.

The species Brassica oleracea contains a wide variety of vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts. The cultivar group Acephala also includes spring greens and collard greens, which are similar genetically.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Swiss Chard was beautiful

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The "tee pees" held the "Indian Friends" veggies

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
What was Mother Nature trying to do with the bloom?

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Sue volunteered her finger to show the size of the flower

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
No place to hide!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Interesting way to tie the plants back?

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The restoration of the arbors included the trees in the garden

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The rose named for obama.., Small, weak, no roots, no blooms, zip!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Real roses named after Ronald and Nancy Reagan

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
We are now headed for the Chinese Gardens

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Brian has also mastered the flat camera

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The water was as clear as a bell

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The water lilies were just coming into their own

Did You Know? - The white water lily is the national flower of Bangladesh and State flower for Andhra Pradesh, India. The Blue waterlily is the national flower of Sri Lanka. It is also the birth flower for July.

The water-lily has a special place in Tamil poetics, where it is considered symbolic of the grief of separation; it is considered to evoke imagery of the sunset, the seashore and the shark. Sangam landscape

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
If you look carefully, you can see the metal fences protecting
the lilies from the geese and ducks

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
More Hawthornes

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Enjoying the California weather!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Chinese Gardens are huge and about to get larger

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The island was an interesting addition to the lake

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The concrete walkway is "floating" above the ground so the tree roots
will not fracture the concrete over the years - smart design

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Holy rocks??

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Brought to the garden from China

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Just us (Courtesy of Brian)

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The moon bridge is easy to understand from this point-of-view

Did You Know? - A moon bridge is a highly arched pedestrian bridge associated with gardens in China and Japan. The moon bridge originated in China and was later introduced to Japan.

This type of bridge was originally designed to allow pedestrians to cross canals while allowing the passage of barges beneath. When constructed using the climbing ascent and descent this had the further advantage of not using space from the adjoining fields for approaches.

In formal garden design a moon bridge is placed so that it is reflected in still water. The high arch and its reflection form a circle, symbolizing the moon.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The Japanese Maple was beautiful

Did You Know? - Japanese maple trees (Acer palmatum) are actually native to Japan, China and Korea, and have been enjoyed for centuries, cultivated in gardens of exquisite beauty throughout these countries. With over 1,000 cultivars, Japanese maple trees come in an astonishing variety of colors, sizes and types.

Most maple trees have five lobes or points on the leaves, but Japanese maples may have five, six or seven. The leaf colors range from a light, delicate green to a rich, dark burgundy, almost purple color.

Japanese maple trees stay on the smaller side of the maple tree scale. A typical Japanese maple has many slender trunks, with branches rising from the trunks and forming a natural dome or rounded shape. Trees can be gently pruned but are often quite attractive if left alone.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Amazing colors against the blue sky

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The blooms were fantastic as we walked toward the Japanese Gardens

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Japanese cherry tree

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
This beautiful Clivia was hidden off the path and in the shade

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Fooled us.... It was a bloom that fell off a tree above this little bush

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The water gave off a relaxing sounds.... Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Set up a hammock and Brian and Paul would be gone quickly

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Mr. Ducks seemed to enjoy the water

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Azaleas were everywhere

Did You Know? - In Chinese culture, the azalea is known as "thinking of home bush" (sixiang shu) and is immortalized in the poetry of Du Fu and is used to rich effect in contemporary stories such as by Taiwanese author Pai, Hsien-Yung.

The azalea is also one of the symbols of the city of S?o Paulo, in Brazil.

In addition to being renowned for its beauty, the Azalea is also highly toxic?it contains andromedotoxins in both its leaves and nectar, including honey from the nectar.

The Azalea and Rhododendron were once so infamous for their toxicity that to receive a bouquet of their flowers in a black vase was a well-known death threat.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Many pomegranate examples were on display!

Did You Know? - What does the word 'bonsai' mean? Is means planted in a tray. It is arguable what the origins of 'bonsai' initially were, some claiming that it begun in China with Buddhist monks there. Today we associate it with Japan but it is fashionable throughout Asia just as Buddhism.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The displays are changed all the time

Did You Know? - Bonsai are primarily indoor plants. False. Absolutely not! Remember they are trees after all albeit miniature and like their larger counterparts they require the same environment to thrive. For instance the Japanese Red Maple needs the autumn cooling for it to tell the leaves to change color and to winterize. For maples this extremely important for their survival and it can only get this by spending some of its life outdoors.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
What? Jan is larger than a tree!

Did You Know? - Steel wire is most commonly used for forming branches into desired positions. False. Steel as a rule is avoided because over time it rusts. Instead copper or aluminum is used in place of steel as it will not rust and it tends to be slightly more malleable

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The flat camera goes to work

Did You Know? - The largest Bonsai park in the world is located in Japan. False. Korea holds this honor. The park is named Bunjae Artpia and it's located on Cheju Island.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
A miniature forest!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Sue is NOT a bonsai!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Azaleas were in full bloom all over the gardens

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Wisteria bonsai!

Did You Know? - Wisteria (also spelled Wistaria or Wysteria) is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the Eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Some species are popular ornamental plants, especially in China and Japan. An aquatic flowering plant with the common name wisteria or 'water wisteria' is in fact Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae.

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Green??? Let's turn back the clock

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Same trees December the 8th 2014 (Our last visit with the Finch's)

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Water taken with fast camera setting

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Water slowed down via the camera .... Thanks to the camera

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Jan hides in the bushes and scares the little kids...

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The wisteria is about a week past its optimum time... But still beautiful

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Down into the ravine we go!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Sue keeps attracting the bees... Wonder why?

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The colors are mind boggling.... A million colors of green!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The koi were quite busy

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Loved the reflections

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The moon bridge in its natural state

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Same bridge in years gone by

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Brian talks to the fishies... We are worried about the boy

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
"Sue... Do you have a safety pin? I want to go fishing!"

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The arbors are perfect for the wisteria

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
What a team!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Nice shorts, huh?

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Just beautiful

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Back to the Rose Garden

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The tree roses were standing at attention

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
An ocean of white roses

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.... Great name for a song!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Does it get better than this?

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Simply beautiful...

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
She apparently lost her head sometime on the past

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Greg got Jan into a serious case of the giggles!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
He looks so innocent... We know better!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The margaritas are disappearing quickly

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Miles of smiles

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Nancy is happy... She found her purse!

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Irene rounded out the party.... Great fun with friends

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
The sun be setting

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015
Could not resist trying to get the sunset on the way home

Fun times at the Huntington with Brian and Jan 3/23/2015