The Roman-inspired Getty folly in Pacific Palisades includes an inner courtyard with reflecting pool, statuary, covered walkways and hedged paths. The villa and its grounds, which have been undergoing renovation since 1997, will reopen to the public later this month. (Stephen Osman / LAT)
A fountain, near rows of mulberry trees, is a soothing presence in the villas east garden. (Stephen Osman / LAT)
The twisted limbs of an 80-year-old pomegranate tree adds stark contrast to the surrounding, verdant shrubbery and lavish details of the villa. J. Paul Getty wanted plant selections to closely match those of Villa dei Papiri, and Naranjo made trips with museum staff to the Mediterranean to visit ancient ruins, museums and gardens. (Stephen Osman / LAT)
Water lillies at the Getty Villa garden (Stephen Osman / LAT)
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Richard Naranjo knows the elaborate Mediterranean flora of J. Paul Getty’s villa better than anyone. (Stephen Osman / LAT)
Acanthus plants line the promenade at the Getty Villa garden. (Stephen Osman / LAT)
Naranjo walks among the extensive beds in the villas herb garden, which includes such plants as capers, basil, medlar and nonfruiting olive trees. (Stephen Osman / LAT)
Leggy stalks of papyrus, used by Romans to make paper, grow in a feathery cluster. (Stephen Osman / LAT)
