GETTY GARDEN

Museums like the Getty prize ancient, rare and unique artworks. Yet, when John Walsh and Robert Irwin defend the design of the Getty Center garden, they scorn the use of native plants because of their age, their rarity and their uniqueness (“Uncommon Grounds,” by Kristine McKenna, April 7).

Irwin’s garden may turn out to be appropriate, even an artistic landmark, but it is depressing to know cultural leaders have such blindness to California’s natural heritage.

ROBERT R. NAKAMURA

Los Angeles

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Why Robert Irwin feels that by hiring him instead of a landscape architect the Getty has “made an adventurous choice” escapes us. By creating a garden of beauty responding to natural influences, color, patterns and textures, architecture, maintenance, etc., he is doing what hundreds of talented landscape architects do every day.

The creation of memorable places and gardens is of course an admirable goal. To do this while slighting an entire group of professionals who are contributing so much to his work is bewildering.

BRIAN MITCHELL

TINA PARKER

Hermosa Beach

The writers are landscape architects.