Huntington Closes Certain Gardens, Reschedules Santa Event

Originally published Dec. 6, 2011

Trees of all kinds were knocked down in San Marino last week, following the severe windstorm Wednesday night and Thursday morning, and the Huntington’s gardens were no exception.

“While all buildings were left virtually unscathed, and garden statuary sustained only minor damage, the botanical gardens themselves bore the brunt of the storm,” the Huntington said in a statement Monday.

Huntington Communications Coordinator Lisa Blackburn called the Huntington’s tree losses “serious,” in a Huntington Blogs entry Monday.

Blackburn elaborated:

"Some very old and very important specimens are down. The tall Italian stone pine that stood at the base of the subtropical garden fell, as did a large deodar near the north entrance of the Chinese garden, temporarily blocking the adjacent road.  A number of trees were so damaged they will have to be removed; preliminary estimates suggest as many as 100 in all."

Some parts of the Huntington are still closed for safety reasons, though most of the popular gardens remain open.

Parts of the Huntington that are closed include:

• Jungle Garden
• Zen Garden and Bonsai Court (now closed to visitor access until the Japanese Garden reopens in April)

Garden areas open at the Huntington include:

• Desert Garden
• Rose Garden
• Chinese Garden
• Children’s Garden
• Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science

The Huntington closed for initial clean-up on Thursday through Saturday, but re-opened Sunday to host a Santa event.

The other Santa event that was supposed to take place for members last Saturday will be held this Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Attendees can take photos with Santa in the Botanical Center and hear Mrs. Clause read Clement Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas.

Have you visited the Huntington since the windstorm?