My grandpa lived near the gardens when it first opened in 1928. I found some of his old photos that were taken there. I always feel more of a connection to places I know my grandparents visited. He worked for a prominent local nursery at the time. And I wondered if he helped with any of the sourcing or planting.
So I really wanted to see these gardens for myself. I loved it all! Especially the Desert Garden.
I’ve felt this pull in pursuing this career that I really can’t explain other than I feel like I’m being guided. And it all started with seeing that door of the Landscape Design lab.
It wasn’t until today that I found out that my grandpa Erich Regenscheit helped propagate and care for some of the rare plants in the Desert Garden.
William Hertrich, the esteemed landscape architect who designed the Desert Garden regarded Erich in his memoirs as a primary figure in the success and survival of the Huntington’s Desert Garden. He was said to be a key collaborator whose practical gardening expertise allowed Hertrich’s landscape visions for the Desert Garden to become reality. Erich was noted for possessing a natural talent for handling and propagating desert plants, many of which were rare and difficult to grow in Southern California at the time.
Another fun connection with the Garden was I did my research paper last year on Beatrix Farrand. Who lived at The Huntington while her husband was director there. I loved learning about her! She was the only female of the 11 founding members of the American Society of Landscape Architects. She worked with many Ivy League universities. I really enjoyed learning more about her process and her decades of work at one of her most notable projects: Dumbarton Oaks and the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden and Carriage Roads in Acadia National Park.
I was encouraged to learn that it takes professionals decades to create these masterpieces. Gardening is a delayed gratification hobby and career. It takes time for plants to mature and then there is a constant editing process. I love Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset concepts. And this is literally a growth mindset in a very visual application. For a beginner like me who is constantly editing my own yard, I like knowing that even seasoned designers have to have a long term vision and also patience too. My yard is on the 5 year plan! I have baby trees, plants, shrubs that are still maturing. I'm excited to see how it looks in 5 years.
Japanese Garden
Chinese Garden
