Saturday, March 16, 2019

Grand Park in DTLA

Sometimes, social media, or photo services, can remind you of the most random things. In this case, Google Photos made this picture pop up in my phone:

that's LA city hall
It reminded me that last year, right after the Austin Fling, i spent a weekend in Downtown LA. And even though i had just had a great weekend of visiting gardens in Austin, i couldn't get enough. I've written about my visit to a community garden, and to the Blue Ribbon garden, but Grand Park (The Park for Everyone) also had some great plants and views to share. These pictures are from May 2018!
the park seems really well maintained, with lots of interesting plants

these were cool!

many of the plants were massed to great effect
And i think they did a great job with the colors, and really creating an impact in such a public space
the flowers and the sign!
Because this is LA, and i guess the area is in a warm microclimate, being in the middle of the city, there were some very cool plants
like this one

a whole bunch of them!

the city building is visible from most of the park

and there were aloes! (maybe with aloe mites)
there were areas for people to gather

and some cool variegated plants also
A great use of this sometimes unruly vine - i only wish my bougainvillea looked this good!

this was a great combination of plants

more aloe booms!

these were in the shade
I was in the park on a random Saturday in May, and it seemed so well maintained - neat mulch, happy looking plants, nothing pruned into weird shapes...
not a lot of cramscaping though
At the top end of the park (opposite from City Hall) are some large fountains:
the water wasn't very deep, but it was nice to see

pretty cool for a public park. 
This cool flowering tree was at the top. There weren't any (many?) signs identifying the plants used, which was maybe the only downside?
but maybe only for gardeners!
This was a great garden to look back on! And now i'm thinking that maybe i'm over due for a DTLA staycation again!
i'll have to visit again!

8 comments:

  1. What a cool park! LA City Hall is quite near the train station and the hotel where my husband stayed last year when he went on his train trip vacation (I posted about it). He might do that again some time, so if he does I'll tell him to visit here and take some photos for me. I think he stayed at the Hilton, which had a nice rooftop garden.

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    1. Oh, i will have to look up that rooftop garden next time!

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  2. Echium, Grevillea and succulents! A lot has changed since the days I worked downtown. I guess I should visit for reasons other than protest marches.

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    1. every once in a while is good... the maintenance on the part was pretty amazing, considering how open it is. So many cool plants!

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  3. I'm overdue for another visit too -- my dtla trips have been severely curtailed by work on the Metro Blue Line, which won't open until September. Love that verbascum shot!

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    1. One of these days i have to try taking the metro/train... for something other than the Long Beach GP!

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  4. I grew up in LA (in the 1950's) and going 'Downtown' was an event. That's where all the department stores were , and all the theaters. I was always excited to go to the Biltmore Theater to see a play(now a church I think?)and park in the garage under Pershing Square. Parking garages seemed so glamorous when I was a child, with the garage at the Bullocks in Westwood the most glamorous of all. I wonder if Grand Park was even there in those days.Research needed.

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    1. Downtown LA has changed so much, even just in the last few years. Parking garages can still be glamorous, although Pershing square has not been my favorite these last few trips.

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