Recent DTLA Garden.2: LAPCA Tapestry
Front to back
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, LAPCA, is part of the Olvera Street complex of buildings that includes not only the famous open-air vendors and restaurants, but also Los Angeles’ historic Catholic Church. Housed next to the church, in two 19th Century buildings that have been beautifully restored, it’s been a daily treat watching the LAPCA progress from a tented monolith of scaffolding to important cultural institution. LAPCA’s website (click here) details current exhibitions and events; I’m looking forward to finding the time for a visit soon. On a recent morning, I decided to postpone my rush into the office and sneak onto the grounds to find … not much going on. Most of the garden and performance space was gated off (behind colorful powder-coated Aztec-motif metalwork) and what I could see inside was not that exciting; other areas were still under construction. A happy surprise, however, was this gorgeous vertical garden. Employing an amazingly diverse array of textures and colors, this planted wall is alternately shaggy, spiky, fluffy, lush, low, scruffy, woolly and leafy … a sumptuous visual and tactile tapestry and a complete delight this cool morning!
My blog page’s width is too constricting to stretch the tapestry out on horizontally, but please enjoy letting your eyes roam down the wall. For a closer look at the structure of the wall, including the plastic milk-crate like modules that contain the plants and soil, click the first picture and scroll across …
Textural tapestry
… and for transportation into a world where succulents, grasses and ferns all hang out together, playing off — and complementing — each other, double-click on the picture above and scroll around.
I’ll have to make visiting the LAPCA’s garden a daily detour … The garden wall is between the LAPCA’s main buildings and the Plaza Catholic church, on North Main Street., across from the Plaza’s kiosko, or bandstand.
Rancho Reubidoux 
Looks like the answer to “Can’t we all just get along?” Yes we can! Serendipity is a wonderful thing.
Yes — The woolly, spiky and the fluffy can live together in harmony!
That looks good. Maybe the grasses are a bit stressed (dry tips?) but overall way cool. Looks like the “crates” are maybe 6″ deep or so?
Thanks for showing that!
Hey, HB, the crate-things are about 6-8 inches deep … and some of the grasses do look a bit dessicated, but somehow perfect … hopefully, they’ll rally soon!
What a totally cool photo!!
Thanks, Judy! Now get back to work, it ain’t the same without you…
I surely do enjoy these places you find!! You make me think that I need to do some roaming around. Thank you for the views that I would never see otherwise.
I do love roaming … and, not driving really helps finding places and things!
Fun!
I know this area — can’t wait to get to L.A. to visit!
Love that you posted the photo vertically!!!!
Alice, thanks! Glad you stopped by; have a look around.
P.S.
Posted a link on my facebook page: http://facebook.com/alicesgardentravelbuzz
so there should be lots of new visitors clicking their way through to wonderful Rancho Reubidoux.
PPS… just re-tweeted a link to that terrific Vimeo Video of your garden!! What fun to walk through with a musical soundtrack 😉
Thanks again, Alice… I’m glad you enjoyed the Rancho