Superintendent Diane Sipos’ Message: The Virginia Robinson Gardens Tour led by Clarke Young, Former Butler to Mrs. Robinson

Clarke Young

In June, the docents participated in a special tour led by former butler Clarke Young. Clarke shared numerous stories of his time at The Virginia Robinson Gardens and offered a rare glimpse into Mrs. Robinson’s life. The participants enjoyed this unique opportunity to hear what life was like for this young butler. Clarke came upon this job one day when he was driving on Sunset Boulevard and noticed a building at the corner of Colby Avenue and Sunset. Out of curiosity, he went inside the building and learned it was a hiring agency. Even though he wasn’t looking … Read More

A Walk in the Garden with Superintendent Diane Sipos

New feathered friends have moved in!  Thanks to the generosity of Nicole Antoine Finton and her family, a brood of four chickens have moved into the hen house, joining the two other ladies (the last remaining from the original five).  This breed of chickens - Silver Laced Wyandotte - is distinguished from the other two hens, with their beautiful golden feathers outlined with blue-grey tips and full feathered heads reminiscent of big, swooping hairstyles from the 1980s. Their full body plumage give them a regal air as they strut about in their new home.  I extend a big thank you to Josh Johnston for coordinating their move to their new habitat.  To ensure a smooth transition as each brood became acquainted, Josh separated the hens with a partition, creating two separate dwellings.  Over a period of several weeks, he slowly introduced the hens to each other, and eventually removed the divider.  The flocks now coexist peacefully, and the new group has happily settled into their new home.  School children have delighted in seeing the chickens on recent field trips, and we look forward to more visitors getting to know them.

A Walk in the Garden with Superintendent Diane Sipos

As visitors walk through the upper Palm Forest, the joyful chirping of birds greets them.  The historic Aviary, home to parakeets and a male cockatiel, now has a new addition: a female cockatiel.  The lone cockatiel had always captured my attention.  With bright yellow feathers, orange Crayola-like circles on either side of his beak, and tufts of feathers protruding like a Trojan helmet from the top of his head, the cockatiel would often be perched in front of his bird-size mirror, staring at his reflection as if looking for his mate.  Cockatiels are naturally social birds who cannot survive alone in the wild, so it was clear he needed a partner

A Walk in the Garden with Superintendent Diane Sipos

While spring is traditionally seen as the best time to visit the Gardens, there is something magical here in the dark of winter.  The leaves on the palm fronds glisten with early morning dew.  Walking through the Palm Forest on a grey, cloudy day, one feels enveloped in this tropical haven, underneath its natural “roof” of palm trees. There is a sense of being enclosed.  A sea of dormant Kaffir lilies blanket the ground, with scatterings of their bright red berries starting to show.  On a rainy day, the sound of the rain echoes in the Palm Forest. From the top of the Italian Terrace Garden, showers not only bring much-needed water, but open up the sky with magnificent views of the Pacific and Catalina Island.   On a clear day after it showers, these views remind us why Virginia and Harry Robinson fell in love with this site when they first came upon it

A Walk in the Garden with Superintendent Diane Sipos

The garden is showing subtle signs that autumn is in the air.  The seeds of the great Ginkgo tree in the Italian Terrace Garden are beginning to drop, its foliage slowly turning a deep saffron yellow. Despite the dry, hot summer, the garden continues to thrive, thanks in large part to the hard work of our gardeners.  They have been tirelessly weeding and mulching, among other things, to maximize water efficiency during the drought and extreme hot weather.  We installed a water savings drip irrigation system in the Italian Terrace Garden on the Neptune, Citrus and Lion Terraces, and along the front wall on Elden Way.  I am grateful for the Friends’ extraordinary dedication and hard work to fund projects such as this, enabling this historic living collection to flourish

A Walk in the Garden with Superintendent Diane Sipos

I joined The Virginia Robinson Gardens three months ago at the beginning of spring. Walking the grounds each day, I was struck by the ever-shifting changes: on a walk through the Palm Forest on a Monday morning, a sea of vibrant orange kaffir lilies in full bloom greeted me. What a surprise after weeks of seeing only their strap-like stems. The Gingko tree in the Italian Terrace Garden stood tall and proud, its shoots bare; the next week, its leaves populated the tree seemingly overnight. I am continually in awe of the garden’s way of expressing itself, its quiet voice communicating gently to all who visit. Whether a visitor on a docent-led tour, a volunteer who works in the garden or leads a tour, or an attendee at a Friends lecture, to name a few, we are all stewards of this beautiful garden, called to listen and respond to its evolving growth and needs

Virginia Robinson Gardens Welcomes Our New Superintendent: Diane Sipos!

Diane Sipos is thrilled to join the Virginia Robinson Gardens as its new Superintendent.  She brings extensive experience overseeing major organizational and programmatic initiatives in the non-profit sector, higher education, and arts institutions.  Previously, she served as Director for the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art - Southern California Chapter, an educational arts institute.  She provided strategic leadership to the organization since its early inception, forging partnerships with institutions across both public and private sectors in advancing the organization’s mission.  She created a program that serves a Title I school in LAUSD, implemented scholarship programs, created educational programs for design professionals and the general public, and organized travel tours of notable architecture and landscapes.  Under her helm, the organization saw its membership grow and expanded its audience nationally and internationally with its expanded online programming and digital library.  She has a Master’s in Public Administration from USC

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