Since getting back from Austin, I've been spending a lot of time in my own garden, trying to capture some of the inspiration and magic that came from that awesome weekend. However, the weekend after Austin, i ended up in Downtown LA, and came across a great garden i wanted to share...
While wandering in DTLA, i came across
Spring Street Community Garden - they are hard to miss with the blooming nasturtium outside:
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| very pretty! and they provide them to local restaurants, i learned later |
Antonio saw me taking pictures outside, and invited me in to talk about plants!
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| Spring Street Community Garden - and note the block wall planter in the bottom of the picture! |
They had the expected veggie beds - all of them beautiful and already lush.
There were also a lot of ornamental vignettes - like this living wall installation.
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| a lot of succulents and ornamental plants, all mixed with the edibles |
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| The ornamental bed at the end of the garden - look at the size of some of the plants! |
They are growing papaya - successfully! They've also harvested a pineapple...
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| papaya in LA! |
And here's the coincidence, and link to Austin - they were growing Piper auritum (Hoja santa / rootbeer plant) - a much admired plant in Margie McClurg garden in Austin.
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| i didn't get a good picture - but it's just the right of this one... |
Antonio was gracious enough to give me some cuttings - more evidence that gardeners are the best!
Now, i have been very unsuccessful at cuttings in the past, but fingers crossed these will take... It was so fun to see this garden, and talk to Antonio. If i lived near a community garden like this, i'd join in a heartbeat!
A garden like that is a neighborhood treasure anywhere, but especially in downtown LA, how fortunate you got to talk with Antonio. Fingers crossed for your cuttings!
ReplyDeleteI've been successful with one of the plants (of course, the one i forgot the name of...) and the root beer plant!
DeleteWow, what a great place. And to think it's a community garden. Ours looks nothing like that.
ReplyDeleteNow I need to look for hoja santa....
good luck! i'm sure many people will be interested in your source if you find one!
DeleteI saw that garden when I was downtown for a protest march. It's an unusual sight in downtown LA! How wonderful that Piper auritum was growing there. Best wishes in rooting the cutting. I'm definitely going to hunt down the plant down - if it can grow downtown, it can grow anywhere!
ReplyDeleteUnusual but very welcome! And so well maintained too... if i were closer, i'd be there all the time!
DeleteI hope you will prevail with your cutting.I'm always happy to see urban community gardens. I'm always surprised to think of anyone actually living in downtown LA-back when I was a little kid (some time ago I might add)it was a place you went to go shopping or the theater. The plots you showed look well cared for.
ReplyDeleteDowntown (near LA Live) has changed a bunch! It's got an actual urban feel, but it seems like if you were in the right location, it'd be fun to live there for a while!
DeleteThat root beer planting is haunting a lot of us! I think there's a big plant growing down the street that I never noticed. It has bare, woody stems to maybe 5 ft, with the big leaves sprouting at the top -- kinda like the way tetrapanax grows here too. I've got a small plant rooted ;) I need to check out this community garden next time I'm in dtla, so thanks, Renee!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I hope you get a chance to stop by!
DeleteGreat find, and my favorite thing is when I get to talk plants (and design) with someone like-minded. A great garden like the one you were at is even better!
ReplyDeletetalking plants is always the best! Especially with people who are really passionate about it.
DeleteHow fun to find a place with so much plant life in DTLA!
ReplyDeletePlant lovers are cool.
that they definitely are!
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