The Great Park Corporation, the city of Irvine, the Design Studio, the Great Park Conservancy and other leaders are working now to assimilate and decide upon the final inclusions and layout for this massive project. For the gardening public, highlights currently include a world-class botanical garden, significant palm plantings, community allotment gardens, an organic produce farm, a flowering tree bosque, a Thai Chi garden, a butterfly garden, citrus and avocado orchards, and a fern grotto.
Being a 21st-century endeavor, plantings throughout the Great Park will be overwhelmingly California-friendly. A blend of native and non-invasive plants will be chosen for their suitability to our mild Mediterranean climate and will introduce visitors to new plants, the beauty of nature, and the sustainability goals of the Great Park.
The large flowering tree bosque will be built along the western edge of the Great Park and will be one of the first gardens developed. The area will be heavily planted and just inside the magnificent Trabuco Road entrance. This, the main entrance, will feature large opposing fountains and a massive arch, silhouetting Saddleback Mountain in the distance. Within the bosque, flowering trees will provide a canopy, while the understory of shrubs, flowers and open areas will offer opportunities for wildlife viewing, casual strolling, quiet reflection, picnics and education about the benefits of using sustainable trees in the home garden.
