Cactus Garden

I for sure wouldn’t bring kids here! I can see it now:
Little kid fingers filled with shitloads of spines. Somebody, please… call the ambulance for this kid.
But other than that, what an
–eco-​friendly,
–low maintenance,
–sustainable, and
–cool!!!
way to add beauty and originality to a community. The cactus plants come in all varieties of colors and sizes. Some small. Some huge like trees. Some purple. Some yellow. Some pink. Some green. Fountains and cherub statutes are scattered throughout the garden, and it’s quite fun to walk the pathways created using colored rocks.
Want some peace? Some time alone? Some nature?
Here.

This was a very cool gem of a spot to visit. I’m a cacti connoisseur, so this was a neat place. I was glad I went.

This is definitely a place that needs to be seen. We drove by and stopped for a few moments to take in the views from the car. I would have taken photographs but my camera was in my purse, in the trunk. Sad face! The next time we are in town, I definitely want to carve out an hour or so to get a better idea of the garden. There were several people walking around, snapping photographs with wild abandon.
I learned from our friend that the garden has grown larger and larger, as the years march on. The owners live beside it and are the ones responsible for the planting. The contents seem to be a cross between a swap meet and a botanical garden. From my brief glimpse, I saw a cat walking near a fountain, a birdhouse perched atop tall branches, and a canoodling couple holding hands walking down a dirt path.

Ahhh! I drive around here sometimes… I have no idea why… I should just walk here since it’s really pretty close by… but it’s odd.
There are cacti everywhere and some odd fountains and sculptures made of iron.
The streets that line the sides of the park are all named after famous artists: Matisse, Michelangelo, Cezanne, Renoir… just to name a few. Interesting. I kind of like that they’re all grouped together. hahaha. Some art history city planner I guess had their fun here.
Anyway, what else. If you continue down a bit there is the unpaved part of Mulholland that someone mentioned. I believe there is a dog boarding facility there (don’t take your dog there…) and there is this crazy old 50s nuclear bunker facility. My best friend and I spent part of a day checking that place out (instead of going to school… shhh!) and it was fun! I have a ton of pictures of us… weird. I love the history of the place… and I probably got some radiation (or equivalent) poisoning to go along with it! :) Fun! :) I’ll have to scope out that place again sometime… since I have been thinking about that place recently. Anyway, there is this tower that you can climb up… hence where we took most of the pictures. It was really lovely! :)
Anyway, the little cacti park is kind of cute! :)

It’s quite a sight. Talk about local flavor…
Right where Topanga Canyon Blvd. (not Old Topanga Canyon Road) spits you out into the Valley, at the first stop light (that’s Mulholland)… is a huge cactus garden. It’s right there at the intersection, can’t miss it.
I lived a few blocks from here, about 4 years ago. I watched this garden grow and grow, slowly, larger and larger…
Apparently it’s the creation of the person/​people who live in the interesting house next to the garden. If you look over the fence at their property, you’ll see more of the same, cacti up the wazoo.
And parked in front of this walled property you will see a bunch of cool vintage cars. I never bothered to ask locals who lives in the house, and now I wish I knew.
When I was walking around amidst the cacti last week, I could see that the garden was, as always, a work in progress. It’s on the land adjacent to the dirt median that parallels Mulholland Drive all the way up to dirt Mulholland. Yes, Mulholland Hwy. has a several-​mile stretch of road that’s undeveloped, it’s still dirt. I don’t know why it’s never been paved, but I used to walk there almost every evening. It’s so high up that I looked down on helicopters.
The gas pipeline is under the dirt median that parallels Mulholland, beginning at the Topanga Road intersection. And the cactus garden graces part of this formerly desolate-​looking dusty space.
I see that the cactus garden creator has expanded to the other side of the intersection since I lived down the street. And it looks wonderful, too cool.
In the main garden, you’ll find more than just cactus, though. There are manicured paths, benches, a teepee,
shopping carts filled with potted plants,
birdhouses, tea kettles… yes tea kettles and assorted eclectic decorations that are quite entertaining & unexpected.
The artist in me adores all this. How delightfully eccentric this garden is.
Brave the summer temps and check this place out. Bring your camera. And if weather permits, walk up the dirt median and take in views of the distant hills.
If you’re a mountain biker, check out the trails up along dirt Mulholland. When I used to walk up there, the only other human life I’d encounter were the off-​road cyclists.
Keep a lookout for mountain lions. I was lucky to never see any, but they are there no doubt.