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This
fountain near an entrance on Arlington Street is powered by the
sun. Behind it in the Mediterranean garden section
of the Arlington Garden are two rows of olive trees and a swath of lavender shrubs. |
Arlington
Garden
in Pasadena
is definitely a work in progress. It is a collaborative
effort, primarily using private resources, so the build-out is
proceeding slowly. The idea for this water-wise garden initially
came from two nearby residents who grew tired of looking at a
weed-filled 3 acre lot at the corner of
Pasadena Ave.
and
Arlington St. So they took their idea to the City of
Pasadena
which leased the land from CalTrans, the property owner.
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Noted garden
Designer Mayita Dinos created a plan that incorporated several gardens
on the site: a Mediterranean garden, a citrus garden, a meadowlands, and
oak grove and desert garden. The Mediterranean garden is clearly
the most developed at this time. (Dec. 2008) and even it has bare
areas -- one of which is designated to eventually be a bocce ball
court. |
A few old palms, an oak and a jacaranda tree were already
on the site, remnants of the garden for the Durand estate, which was
located on this land. The
Durand home was demolish decades ago.
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Cobalt
blue pots line the pathway between the upper level of the Mediterranean
garden and the terrace. |
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Adirondack
chairs are scattered around the terrace which overlooks the California
orange grove and meadowlands parts of Arlington Garden. |
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The
orange grove garden, laid out diagonally, is adjacent to
Pasadena Avenue. The lower part of the garden, the
California-inspired section, remains only partially developed at
this time. |
While there are many parks
with tall old trees and lush green lawns throughout Pasadena, Arlington
Garden is the only public garden in the City. And it is
fascinating to see it develop and evolve. You can see the official
website here.
To go to the garden go south on Orange Grove from Colorado, turn left on
Arlington and go about one long block.
Take these online botanical garden preview tours, too:
Huntington Gardens Desert Garden - near Pasadena
Tucson Gardens
Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden
Descanso Gardens -
near Pasadena
Los
Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden
Tropical Garden in
the Dominican Republic
Shore Acres Gardens, Coos
Bay Oregon
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic
Garden, Claremont California
South Coast Botanic Garden
- near Los Angeles
San Diego's Balboa Park Botanical
Gardens
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