Taking full advantage of the wonderful and varied activities at UCLA, I often run into people, who, when they learn of my botanical garden affiliation, are excited to share their garden stories with me.
I recently attended a biology research symposium at the Faculty Center and had the good fortune to visit with a charming professor emeritus of botany. It was our first time chatting, and he had a fund of tales about UCLA. The ones I found most intriguing were about the botanical garden.
The professor spoke of times past, but with such a vivid memory, and a good speaker's ability to bring the stories to life, that I was captivated. My unembellished version of my favorite of his stories is this: One day, as a young professor, he brought the love of his life for a stroll in the garden. When he reached his intended destination, he knelt on bended knee, declared his love for her, and asked her to marry him. She said, "Yes," and they have been happily together ever since. I wonder how many other romances germinated and grew to a blissful wedded state in the botanical garden at UCLA?
The week after the research symposium, I attended a festival on the field at the Sunset Recreation Center. I met some friends with young children who were busy running around, getting henna tattoos, and staging fierce water-balloon fights while their parents and I enjoyed the music and dance.
When it became apparent that the kids had had their fill of the activities, one of their mothers suggested they spend some time at the botanical garden. Even though I have great affection for the garden and tell everyone I meet about it, I thought the kids would be bored with the garden after the excitement of the performances. Their mom said, "Oh no, they love the garden." In front of me, she asked her 12-year-old son if he wanted to go and he said, "Yes...it's great...just like running around in the jungle."
After hearing these stories from young and old alike, I conducted a very small and informal survey of people more in the middle years who had their own stories to tell about the garden. Some prized it because they felt it was a hidden treasure at UCLA and that the trees were allowed to grow to maturity without artificial pruning. Others appreciated the different seasons reflected in the blooming of plants and in the coolness of the stream running through it during the hot summer months. Still others spoke of visiting the garden at random times, knowing it was there for them when and if they needed it.
My stories involve the turtles, and the waterfall, and the yellow-with-green-striped bamboo, and the Hawaiian section, and the cactus garden, and the chaparral, and...well, my list is endless, as are the many delights to be found at the MEMBG. Come and visit!
CAROL FELIXSON, Docent and Communications Coordinator
Postscript: What are your stories? I would love to collect and share them at a later date. Please send email to me at