danger garden

Friday, December 13, 2024

Visiting The Tropics, Inc. in Los Angeles (mind blown)

Okay, here we are, back at The Tropics, Inc. and about to do the full tour, are you ready?

Backing up just a bit, two photos I took before I knocked on the gate.

And now we're in...

This was a new office area under construction. That maybe why I was able to visit on a Saturday, since they're usually only open Monday thru Friday.

I wandered, I took photos, I felt lust in my heart.

And most of all, I was inspired!

Tobacco leaves?

This. Ha! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A rusty plough disc with a piece of screen to cover the hole, how many times have I done exactly this with my plantings? Very different settings, the same pieces.

Who is this beautiful creature? I have no idea.

Another NoID fern, so fantastic.

This is the last photo I took, this area was actually behind the same fence as the second and third photos from the top, but I wedged the camera in between the wires. I feel fortunate to have been allowed to wander through this incredibly inspiring shop, thank you Ryan!

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Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Visiting The Tropics, Inc. in Los Angeles—an introduction

I think it was a Martha Stewart blog post that first put this shop in West Hollywood, CA, on my list of places I hoped to see when in Los Angeles. Heading in I still wasn't sure exactly what I'd find, but I was thrilled to be visiting...

The Tropics, Inc. isn't a place you just drop in, they're only open by appointment. The owner, Ryan Hroziencik, and I conversed a bit via Instagram and I was cleared to visit on a Saturday last month. I took a lot of photos. The inspiration level was off the charts.

Here's a description from Martha's post: "20,000 square foot gallery filled with tropical plants, trees, orchids, and other vintage and decorative accessories. The family-owned company, which turns 50 this year, offers plants for both residential and corporate use, real estate staging, and television and film projects" in other words I wasn't there to shop. These things were not going to fit in my carry on luggage, if I could even afford them.

I tried to pare down my photos to a reasonable blog post size, but that was impossible! So much would have been left on the cutting room floor, so to speak. Instead I decided to pull out collections of like items for today's post, and on Friday we'll tour the entire place.

We start with Willy Guhl planters, I never dreamed I would see so many in one place. Are these vintage, or reproduction? Maybe a mix? I didn't get a chance to ask and I guess I really don't care. I find them absolutely enchanting...

Next up, staghorns. Oh my. I think this bulbus mass is growing on an old tree trunk?

How old must it be?

Two more biggies...

This one was shaped like it had once been strapped to something?

On the bottom your could see an exposed section of hose, as well as some pretty heavy duty chain.

Wall mounted versions...

The third collection is made up of plantings of Deuterocohnia brevifolia and Deuterocohnia lorentziana (aka Abromeitiella—terrestrial bromeliads from South America that form dense mounds). I was in awe. In my experience this is not a common plant, but here were dozens! All of them planted distinctively...

What the heck?

This masterpiece really should be at Lotusland, don't you think?

So—as the title says—this is just an introduction, come back on Friday for more. Oh so much more...

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