South Coast Botanic Garden
Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles, California
Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles, California
In the early 1900's the Dicalite Company started mining diatomaceous earth from the site on which the South Coast Botanic Garden now rests. Mostly surface mining at first, the valuable earth was being removed from open pits by 1929. The mine was then sold to the Great Lakes Carbon Company in 1944 and removal of the earth increased to a much larger scale. By 1956, however, the mine was no longer producing enough of the mineral bounty to justify its existence and the property was sold to Los Angeles County.
Intending to eventually reclaim the land, the county used the open pits for sanitary landfill. In 1961, a group of local citizens convinced the County Board of Supervisors to convert the property into a botanic garden. By April of that same year, the garden was amazingly well on its way as 40,000 donated trees, shrubs and other plants were being planted. Since then, the collection has grown to over 200,000 specimens.
Just inside the main entrance and past the visitor's center is a fuchsia test and display garden maintained by volunteers and members from the South Coast Fuchsia Society. Since the arrival of the fuchsia gall mite, it seems to be one of the few remaining extensive public collections actually left in Southern California in which to see fuchsias in action. For that reason—and to recognize that this is all rooted in a reclaimed mine and landfill—I will now officially classify the fuchsia test garden as a National Treasure! The Fuchsia Society also meets here monthly and fuchsias are sold at its annual Fuchsia Show and Sale.
Intending to eventually reclaim the land, the county used the open pits for sanitary landfill. In 1961, a group of local citizens convinced the County Board of Supervisors to convert the property into a botanic garden. By April of that same year, the garden was amazingly well on its way as 40,000 donated trees, shrubs and other plants were being planted. Since then, the collection has grown to over 200,000 specimens.
Just inside the main entrance and past the visitor's center is a fuchsia test and display garden maintained by volunteers and members from the South Coast Fuchsia Society. Since the arrival of the fuchsia gall mite, it seems to be one of the few remaining extensive public collections actually left in Southern California in which to see fuchsias in action. For that reason—and to recognize that this is all rooted in a reclaimed mine and landfill—I will now officially classify the fuchsia test garden as a National Treasure! The Fuchsia Society also meets here monthly and fuchsias are sold at its annual Fuchsia Show and Sale.
