Message from President Lynn Whitaker

Dear Friends, I must admit I am humbled by the thought that I am to lead the Friends of Robinson Gardens following in the footsteps of Betty Goldstein. I believe Betty was in the President’s role longer than any other President and led us through so many uncertain months dealing with various COVID restrictions.  We have emerged on stronger ground and with many accomplishments gifted to us from the pandemic. Having served on her Executive Board, the uncertainness we faced each month – Book Club on, oh no, Book Club postponed, Education events started and stopped several times, and our largest fundraising event of the year, Garden Tour, canceled in 2020, withstood many changes as we weaved through one more COVID requirement. Yet, Betty’s steadfast leadership philosophy of “When one door closes, another opens” served us well

Message From President Betty Goldstein

Dearest Friends, It was in July 2020 that I wrote my first President’s message. We were deeply in the midst of the Covid pandemic, and the Gardens were closed. I, in my naiveté, thought life in general and at the Gardens would return to normal quickly. Little did any of us know to what extent in time and patience the pandemic would take and how it would affect our lives. This will be my last message as President of the Friends of Robinson Gardens. It has been a roller coaster ride of experiences and emotions. It has been such a joy to be able to communicate every month with all of you during these 32 months.  Writing a message every month was a love and sometimes a bit of a hardship. I thank Linda Meadows, Editor of the Newsletter, who always waited so patiently until I got “my inspiration” to begin my message. As I look back at the messages, some better than others, it was a chronicle of what happened during the pandemic months here at the Gardens and how it affected us

Message from President Betty Goldstein

My Garden Is My Happy Place Dear Friends, At a party, someone asked me what I liked best about the holidays. My answer was, “when they were over.” It was in jest of course, but the holidays can be very stressful for many of us. In my family as in other families, we celebrate many holidays at this time and have even invented a few new traditions to be able to include our out-of-state relatives. One way I handle stress is to go out to my garden. I take my pruning shears and an old, large, lightweight pot that I use to collect waste and start to prune plants and clean up old leaves. I find it very cathartic to just concentrate on clipping and cleaning. Keeping a clean and well-pruned garden always gives me a sense of peace and order

Message from President Betty Goldstein

Dear Friends, May your holidays be filled with an abundance of joy and best wishes for you and your loved ones. And the New Year be filled with our hopes, dreams, inspirations, and the good health in which to carry them through. May a good and kind future await us all.

Message from President Betty Goldstein

“Plants cry their gratitude for the sun in green joy.” - Astrid Alauda Dear Friends, Here at the Virginia Robinson Gardens, we have much to feel gratitude towards. Our first thank you would be to Virginia Robinson who had the foresight to leave this magnificent piece of property and important part of history to the people of Los Angeles. From the time she and Harry purchased the land in 1911 until it was bequeathed to the County of Los Angeles in March of 1974, they pursued their dream of having a beautiful botanical garden filled with a variety of unusual plants, many from different parts of the world. Being animal lovers, they also had a menagerie of animals, monkeys, turtles, an aviary filled with birds and a bird nursery to take care of any injured bird that came their way, and of course their beloved dogs. They always had an open door for not only friends but for others too

Message from President Betty Goldstein

Dear Friends, September proved to be a bit of a challenge with the very hot weather, and in Beverly Hills and other areas, there were water restrictions because of a large pipe repair. In preparation, all the flower beds were mulched to keep the moisture in the soil as well as other water-saving actions. Thank goodness for the surprise rain that helped keep the plants. With the coming of October, the flowers in our home gardens are fading, and the summer blooms are gone. I took a walk in the Robinson Gardens to see how our gardens were faring. I was so pleasantly surprised. The dry beds (those lining the great lawn) are in full bloom; among the many flowers are the brilliant orange Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily)

Message from President Betty Goldstein

Dear Friends, September 1 starts the beginning of autumn. At one time it was called the Harvest month, when the harvesting would be done on the farms and in the gardens. The name evolved to the more popular name of autumn and fall. "Autumn" came from the Latin word "autumnus," with the root of the word having connotations regarding "the passing of the year." The term "fall" was likely a deviation from the Old English words "fiaell" and "feallan," both of which mean "to fall from a height." Bustle.com Now the British prefer autumn and Americans prefer fall

Message from President Betty Goldstein

“More grows in the garden than the gardener sows.” Dear Friends, I walked through the Gardens to see how all the flowers and plants were faring through these high temperatures. I was so relieved and delighted to find the garden holding up its end of the bargain by still bringing us pleasing views and colors. I happened to be there at a time that it was especially quiet. The only sounds I heard were the birds chirping and the slight breeze singing through the trees.  The dahlias were in full bloom down by the cutting rose garden, as were the roses in the Display Rose Garden. During this time, the vegetable garden can get a little “worn,” but it too looked happy and thriving

Message from President Betty Goldstein

Dear Friends, It’s July and at the Virginia Robinson Gardens, the flowers are flourishing before the summer wilt. The Wildflower Meadow is in full bloom. The water lilies in the Children’s Wildlife Pond, the “Three Fish Pond,” and the “Lily Pond” in the Lily Pond terrace have extended their lovely flower-headed stems. The agapanthus and society garlic provide splashes of purple throughout the garden as do some of the bearded iris and the Peruvian lilies. The cattails in the Garden Terrace stand tall and upright, ready to bloom with their bushy tails

Message From President Betty Goldstein

Dear Friends, It’s called June Gloom, overcast mornings; the sun shines through later in the day or not at all. Sometimes the ground is moist. I love these overcast mornings; the plants are covered with heavy mist, and as you stroll through your garden with your thick sweater on because the morning is chilly, you see the drops of water on the leaves and on the blades of grass. These are the perfect days for gardening, especially for planting in the early morning, and if the sun stays behind the clouds or breaks through, just a bit, the young plants can settle in before the heat of the coming days.
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