Dear Friends,
March is the month of new beginnings. For a gardener, the most important occurrence is when the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring; the first day of spring this year is March 20th.
At the Gardens, the Coral tree (Erythrina caffra) located on a knoll in the Italian Terrace Garden, is in full bloom. This magnificent tree with its cone-shaped brilliant orange flowers is one of the highlights of the Gardens. Designated as the largest and oldest tree of this type in California, the Coral tree was placed on the “Big Tree” register by the state arborist some years ago. The tree was planted by the Robinsons in the early 1930s after traveling to South Africa and specifically to the “Cape.” This is where they obtained the start of this magnificent tree. Presumably a seed, or quite possibly a small cutting traveled back with them aboard a steamer.
A quote from our book ….
“One of the attributes of most gardeners is that they share their bounty, whether it is extra produce, seeds, actual cuttings, with others. So when the city of Los Angeles asked Virginia for cuttings from her Coral tree, she said yes without hesitation. You can now find the progeny of her tree growing along San Vicente Boulevard in West Los Angeles.”
(Taken from our book Beverly Hills’ First Estate: The House and Gardens of Virginia & Harry Robinson.)
Another one of Virginia’s favorites in the garden were her roses, over 200 in her cutting garden and many more in the Rose Display Garden, including the white and yellow Lady Banks climbing roses (Rosa banksiae), the first roses to bloom in spring. The vegetable garden is being readied for the planting of carrots, radishes, cabbages, and lettuces.
Not only is the garden bursting with new growth, our programming after a two-month delay is starting once again. Our book club postponed from December will be meeting March 19th. The book being discussed is She Always Knew How: Mae West: A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler. Mae West was a guest at many of Virginia’s parties. Space is limited, so please check the office to see if any spaces are available.
The Children’s Program is very active with its many volunteers helping to complete the educational units to send this month. Since its inception, over 3,000 units have been sent to the schoolchildren.
We invite you to come and experience the beginning of spring at the Gardens. We are open for tours, and in March we will be open on Saturdays.
May you enjoy the blooming flowers in your life.
Betty Goldstein
President of the Friends of Robinson Gardens
Leave a Reply