An anniversary celebration on Saturday will mark Arlington Garden’s five years in the community.
The property, which is owned by Caltrans, was once the site of an opulent, 17,000-square-foot mansion that was built in 1901 and then demolished in the 1960s.
The 3-acre lot at one point was poised to become a staging area for 710 freeway construction crews.
But after standing vacant for 40 years, Charles and Betty McKenney had a different idea about what the land could be used for: a garden. City officials banded together with neighbors, local schools and dozens of donors and volunteers to make the garden a reality.
Image: Chuck McKenney, in 2007, with his wife Betty, who came up with the idea to create a garden on an empty Caltrans-owned 3-acre lot at the northwest corner of Arlington Street and Pasadena Avenue. Neighbors helped with the landscaping and plantings, including 50 orange trees. (File photo)
More photos after the jump.
… Arlington Garden now includes thousands of California-native plants such as poppies, sunflowers and succulents, orchards of orange and olive trees, and many more species. The garden provides a respite for visitors and also includes benches, tables, birdbaths, statuary, fountains and meandering pathways.
On Saturday, garden designers and native-plant experts will be on hand to give advice, and visitors can take self-guided tours of the garden and enjoy live music. For sale will be jars of marmalade, paintings of the garden, books by local authors, jewelry and Adirondack-style furniture.
Saturday, May 8, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 275 Arlington Dr. arlingtongardeninpasadena.org, (626) 441-4478
The photos below are from 2009:
Below, a solar-powered water fountain:
(File photos by Walt Mancini / Staff)
Thanks so much for this nice post! The City of Pasadena is proud to have been a partner in this effort, and the McKenneys are treasures.