Michel Martenay, 48, fighting AIDS at a hospice in Anaheim, thinks often about the garden he created on a Laguna Beach bluff more than 20 years ago for those lost to that disease and others. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
A rock with Martenay’s nickname, Blanche, on it was placed in the garden by one of his friends. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Neighbor Joe Nygaard tends to the garden in Maretnay’s absence. Ive adopted it, its adopted me, Nygaard said of the spot. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Michel Martenay lies on his bed in an Anaheim hospice. Martenay’s memorial garden, which he dubbed the Garden of Peace and Love, blossoms at the center of Laguna Beach’s gay culture. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times)
The gardener Martenay says his garden is for everyone, poor, rich, whatever. With flowers always blooming and constant visitors, Martenay says, those resting there are never alone. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Roses bloom around one of the cherub statues in the garden. One such statue was donated by a heartbroken man to honor his dead lover. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Wind chimes swing to the ocean breeze in the garden, where Martenay hopes to return while there’s still time. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
