South Coast Botanic Garden facts for kids
The South Coast Botanic Garden is a beautiful 35 hectare (87 acre) garden. It is located in the Palos Verdes Hills in Palos Verdes, California, United States. This amazing garden is about 16 km (10 miles) south of Los Angeles International Airport.
The garden is home to over 150,000 plants and trees. These come from about 140 plant families and 2,000 different species! You can find flowering fruit trees, giant Coast Redwoods, and unique Ginkgos. The garden is especially known for its many plants from Australia and South Africa.
Inside the garden, you can explore special areas like the Water-wise Garden, Herb Garden, and English Rose Garden. There's also a Garden of the Senses, designed to engage all your senses. A small lake and stream attract many birds, including ducks, geese, coots, and herons. More than 300 types of birds have been seen here!
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From Mine to Garden: A Special History
The land where the garden now sits has a very interesting past. From 1929 to 1956, it was an open pit mine. Workers dug up over one million tons of a material called diatomite.
After the mine closed, the land was sold in 1957 to Los Angeles County. It was then used as a landfill until 1965. This means it was a place where trash was buried.
Turning Trash into Treasure
But something amazing started in 1961. People decided to try and turn this old landfill into a beautiful garden! This was a big experiment in land recycling. The County Board of Supervisors approved the idea. They set aside the 87 acres for the South Coast Botanic Garden.
Over 3.5 million tons of refuse (trash) were buried here. But the garden was carefully designed and built on top of it. The Sanitation District and other County groups helped plan and shape the land. The Los Angeles County Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens took over running the new garden.
In April 1961, the first big planting happened. Over 40,000 plants were donated by people, nurseries, and the County Arboretum. This showed how many people wanted to see the garden grow.
Gardening Challenges: A Unique Environment
Growing plants at the South Coast Botanic Garden is not easy. The land has some very unusual challenges.
Special Soil Conditions
First, the soil is almost entirely made of diatomaceous earth. This is a very light, powdery material. It's not like regular garden soil.
Uneven Ground and Water Pipes
Second, the ground underneath is made of different types and amounts of buried trash. This means the ground settles (sinks) at different rates. This can cause the garden's watering system to break often.
Underground Heat and Gases
Third, the trash buried deep underground is still breaking down. This process creates heat. It also produces gases like carbon dioxide and methane. These gases can affect the plants growing above. Despite these challenges, the garden thrives and is a wonderful place to visit.
See also
In Spanish: South Coast Botanic Garden para niños
