Nesbitt tropical oasis
When Richard Neutra designed the redwood and brick Nesbitt house in Brentwood in 1942, he envisioned a tranquil Japanese-style front garden. Through the years the garden has evolved into a profusion of tropical plants. A banana tree dominates the view outside the master bathroom. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
When William Moran owned the Nesbitt house, he asked Venice landscape designer Jay Griffith to create a tropical garden. The theme was enhanced by current owner Pippa Scott and Pasadena landscape architect Thomas Batcheller Cox. She said, I just bought a Neutra house in Brentwood that has a tropical garden, and Ive never liked tropical gardens,’ Cox says. I thought it was charming that she didnt care for tropicals and still wanted to be faithful to what was there rather than rip it all out. King palms line the brick pathway that leads to the house. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
Francisco Cortes, 7, son of the propertys caretaker, runs through the tiger walk, a winding path shaped though a thicket of ginger plants. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
Australian tree ferns frame a concrete pond and waterfall at the Nesbitt house. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
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This yellow water iris is one of the many small water features in the half-acre garden, which has circular ponds. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
In the 1951 book Richard Neutra, on Building Mystery and Realities of the Site, the architect described a small indoor-outdoor pond at the Nesbitt homes entry, honoring the land with a capital letter. Here Natures garden walks right into the house and through it and out again on the other side, he writes. To underline this fact, the pool slips through under the glass entry wall. The pond indoors is reflected in a mirror. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
A fern pine anchors the backyard of the Nesbitt house. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
