Forging New Paths

During Ethan Lipsig’s tenure as chair of The Huntington’s Botanical Gardens Committee, he helped develop a master plan to enhance the Desert Garden, one of the most notable and iconic landscapes at The Huntington. 

After he stepped down from his role, he and his wife, Joanne, wanted to make one key component of the plan a reality. “That was the primary motivation behind our initiating the Desert Garden Entrance Project,” Ethan says of the couple’s generous gift to launch the effort. 

Joanne adds, “We also wanted our gift to honor Jim Folsom,” the retired head of the Botanical Gardens and the couple’s longtime friend. 

The project includes a redesigned entrance that provides a clear indication that visitors have arrived at the Desert Garden. In addition, 1,300 linear feet of fully accessible pathways will complete the pedestrian loop through the upper plateau of the gardens. The Desert Garden Conservatory will be renovated to improve public access and viewing of the rare plants collection. And the renovations will include an interpretive hub with a potting bench, where visitors can observe the garden’s operations, as well as enhanced displays of such specimens as Lithops, a stone-like plant from South Africa. An additional half-acre of the upper portion of the Desert Garden will open later this year, and it will feature a patio and footbridge with sweeping views of the landscape.