A Visit To The Huntington Library And GArdens

The Huntington Library

Vicky, Del, Carri, Sue, and Paul visited the Huntington Library for an afternoon of food, fun and a lot of giggles! The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (or The Huntington) is an educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington in San Marino, California, USA. In addition to the library, the site houses an art collection strong in English portraits and French eighteenth-century furniture and botanical gardens that feature North America's strongest collection of cycads.

The Huntington's superb botanical gardens cover 120 acres (485,624 m²) and the theme gardens contain rare plants from around the world. The gardens are divided into over a dozen themes including the Australian Garden, Camellia Collection, Children's Garden, Conservatory, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Japanese Garden, Lily Pond, North Vista, Palm Garden, Rose Garden, Shakespeare garden, Subtropical and Jungle Garden and a Chinese Garden under construction in the northern end of the property. In addition, a large open field planted with Eucalyptus trees serves as a re-created "Australian Outback". The Huntington has a program to protect and propagate endangered plant species.

Our Pictures

The Gang Of Four!

A greenhouse is a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming solar radiation from the sun warms plants, soil, and other things inside the building. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall. The idea of growing plants in environmentally controlled areas has existed since Roman times

A rare "Ball Tree" which blooms every year around the Chinese New YEar!

The sniffer is now working!

Dr Del is looking for something... Wonder what it is... Daytona 500 maybe???

Chinese music played in the background!

The Tea Room. There are few places in all of America as idyllic and inspiring as the Huntington Library & Gardens, a combination botanical garden, historical society, art museum and treasure trove of artistic expression in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. After wandering through the stately structures, through Japanese gardens and rainforest environments, stop at the tea room adjoining the rose garden for a lovely respite.

The Japanese Gardens

Flowers are in bloom.

The history of bonsai is cloaked in the mist of the past, but it is now widely believed to have started during the Han Dynasty in China. It was the Chinese who first created the miniature landscapes and trees that we now know as bonsai or penjing. Since originating in China many centuries ago, it has developed into many new forms in various parts of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

Big Foot...Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a figure in North American folklore alleged to inhabit remote forests, mainly in the Pacific northwest region of the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia. In northern Wisconsin, Lakota Indians know the creature by the name Chiye-tanka, a Lakota name for "Big Elder Brother". Sometimes seen in the local mountains!