This Isn’t Your Garden-Variety Park

The natural beauty of Japan, Italy, England and France is now no farther away than Thousand Oaks.

After 18 months of construction, the $7-million Gardens of the World will open its gates today. The 4.5-acre public garden includes flowers and plants from Europe, Asia and North America as well as a bandstand and a plaza reminiscent of the California missions.

The botanical park, owned and operated by the Hogan Family Foundation, replaces an abandoned lumberyard and a scruffy tavern called the Yukon Belle. The foundation created by travel magnate Ed Hogan “wanted very much to give something back to the community,” said Dale Cowgill, the foundation’s development coordinator.

Landscapers worked with five California nurseries to find authentic plants to fit each part of the site, said Charles Melber, president of Peregrine Inc. of Agoura, which constructed the gardens. “They in turn went throughout the country to find them for us,” he said.

The nurseries had to locate plants that would represent different cultures and also thrive in Southern California, Melber said.

A tall black fence surrounds Gardens of the World, which is across from the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Beyond the massive ornamental gate at the main entrance, a water cascade connects the upper and lower portions of the French garden.

The mission area features a Spanish-style plaza with a tile fountain and a statue of Junipero Serra, the priest who founded nine of California’s 21 missions. In the coming months, a muralist will decorate the plaza’s interior walls with images of all the missions.

Olive trees from Fresno surround the plaza structure, along with succulent plants. Wood beams supporting the roof have been distressed to make them look hand-hewn.

Melber said that while planning the gardens, he read 30 books about the landscaping practices and symbolism of different cultures.

For instance, in keeping with feng shui design principles, a waterfall trickles from the northeast corner of a Japanese pagoda, passes through a koi pond on the east and empties into a pond to the south. This arrangement is supposed to help wash out any evil spirits, Melber said, adding: “I like the feeling of it.”

The blue-roofed pagoda is surrounded by three types of bamboo, one of which can grow 40 feet tall. Rock formations represent a tortoise, a crane and a mountain range. Melber donated a 70-year-old, 12-inch-tall bonsai tree.

In the Italian garden, a tiered fountain bubbles toward a trellis that will eventually support chardonnay and cabernet grapevines. In the English section, arches line a path soon to be surrounded by rosebushes.

The area surrounding the bandstand has several ash trees, maples and sycamores, some of which changed color this fall. Deceptive artificial rocks on the grass hide 16 speakers to amplify events on the bandstand.

Because each of the grasses, flowers, trees and plants needs different amounts of water, Gardens of the World has 180 watering zones controlled by six timers. Benches and picnic tables throughout the park are made from recycled plastics.

For the past year, 40 volunteer docents have studied the thousands of plant varieties on hand to better inform visitors. Eventually, copper tags placed near each item will help visitors identify the plants with the help of a guidebook.

Early next year, the garden will be ready for field trips by garden clubs and schools, as well as for charity fund-raisers.

At the top of a steep driveway, the garden’s resource center provides 28 parking spots and space for seminars and receptions. Additional parking is available on the street, and spaces at the Civic Arts Plaza’s parking structure will be available for special events.

Upstairs, the resource center houses a 1,000-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment, reserved for the garden’s eventual caretakers. The foundation hopes to hire a couple to live on-site to assist with security and horticulture, Cowgill said.

Gardens of the World will give tourists another reason to visit Thousand Oaks, said Lawrence Blonquist, chairman of the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“It is really helping create a magnet for people outside the region and beyond,” he said.

The gardens, along with the Civic Arts Plaza, create a nice balance on Thousand Oaks Boulevard between The Oaks mall and the Westlake Promenade, Blonquist said, adding that the area is slowly developing into the center of town. “I don’t know if there is an intent to do that, but it certainly is happening,” he said.

While the Civic Arts Plaza draws audiences at night, the gardens are expected to keep a steady stream of people in the area all day long. “We’re going to see a lot of things happen there,” Blonquist said.

“The momentum now is really building.”

Blonquist expects the business community to be motivated by the improvements along Thousand Oaks Boulevard to open eateries and shops to complement them.