I cannot possibly do this marvelous place justice with words nor photos. It is a famous garden and former home of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The conference center and grounds opened in 1966.  It has been used by many presidents and famous leaders from all over the world. It was the site of many events of international diplomacy. Queen Elizabeth visited the center in 1983.

There is a famous bench where President Obama sat with China’s president Xi Jinping for a photo during their conference in 2013.

I have never been to such a garden. The beds were arranged in geometric patterns with only one type of plant per bed. They referred to these as ‘specimen gardens.’ I was fascinated by these because you see the same type of plant growing side-by-side with dozens of its clones, but no two are exactly identical. I had to pause and study these groups over and over again.

The brochure links to a website that describes the trial and error methods used to come up with the best cultivars for each location. It has been like a giant horticultural experiment.

The history of Sunnylands is covered in a short film. It showed how this gorgeous site was envisioned and created by the Annenbergs. The film also shared how diplomacy used to be.

I particularly loved this canal of river rock.

This place is worthy of numerous visits. It is an amazing place with a fascinating history.

FLOWER among cacti