The George Harrison Tree

I’m a huge Beatles fan and George Harrison is my favorite Beatle. You can imagine how happy I was to finally visit the tree in George Harrison’s honor. I’ve been to the observatory countless times and still can’t believe how many times I’ve passed the tree with no idea of it’s significance. The tree is at the entrance of the observatory parking lot. It’s on the left. It’s more of a shrub than a tree at this time. I read that the original tree was infested with beetles, the irony. Thanks fellow Unilocaler for the info on the beetles! If you’re a Beatles fan, you’ll appreciate stopping by. The observatory is a beautiful LA staple. You can make a morning/​afternoon/​night of it and soak in all the gorgeous views after viewing the tree.

Whoa a tree! You can check in on Unilocal that you’re here? Congratulation!
This is located at the beginning of the hike up the rest of the Hollywood trails in front of the Griffith Observatory. Enjoy!

The GHT was just featured in the LA Times. I have hiked/​run/​ridden my bike past it hundreds of times and never realized it was a tribute to the great man himself. Anyways, if you go looking for it right now it isn’t there because it got destroyed by, well, ACTUAL beetles. See the link at the bottom for more info. Worry not, another one is coming soon!

In 2004, three years after his death on November 29, 2001, to remember George Harrison, the city of Los Angeles dedicated a three foot pine tree in his honor in Griffith Park near the Observatory. Dubbed, «The George Harrison Tree,» the simple pine was a special monument to a man who had not only spent his last days nearby in Beverly Hills but who also was an avid gardener and amateur horticulturalist.
The little pine tree, which is centered in a circular space, is now over ten feet tall with a distinctively curved trunk. A plaque, set into three large stones near the base of the tree, announces it as «The George Harrison Tree» (in uppercase letters). The inscription, just below the image of a lotus flower, reads, «in memory of a great humanitarian who touched the world as an artist, a musician, and a gardener.» Below that, Harrison’s own words connect the memorial to its surroundings: «For the forest to be green, each tree must be green.»
George Harrison was a humble man inclined toward privacy and spiritual pursuits. An ostentatious memorial in a more publicly accessible setting (such as on Hollywood Blvd) would have been inappropriate. To have this vital, organic one seems, somehow, just right. That it is so inconspicuously set aside on the grounds of the Griffith Observatory right next to a common parking lot speaks to Harrison’s unassuming character (and to his sense of humor). He would have approved of the tree’s location. Indeed, it is easy to miss with so many taller and robust pine trees just behind it and with visitors preoccupied with disembarking from their cars and walking uphill to the Observatory.

On the day I was there, many tourists and visitors, in fact, walked right by it without noticing it at all. There is no signage that leads people to the tree, and the memorial plaque is near the ground and out-​of-​sight. Furthermore, I didn’t see any buskers or fans with guitars either playing «Here Comes the Sun,» «Something,» or «My Sweet Lord» (or any of Harrison’s many other well known songs). Instead, with my own private thoughts and reflections, I enjoyed that pine tree in peace just as George, I’m sure, would have wanted it.

Die-​hard Beatle fans may very well want to make the trek to the Griffith Observatory to see Harrison’s tree for themselves; and, when they do, they should be prepared to visit a most unremarkable sight… one that is «hidden» and «lowly» (and one that is faithful to the spirit of a great man).