Gardens of Venice Beach
I’ve always been intrigued by the canals of Venice Beach. I’ve seen them in so many movies and shows and always thought “How charming” but never knew just where they were. I can‘t believe how many times I’ve been to, and I‘m sorry but I must say it, the somewhat swarmy Venice Beach, and have walked right past them! Rows and rows of charming houses and gardens lining the narrow canals. I’m going to give you a glimpse of just a few of the gardens blooming in the courtyards along the path.
The canals are two blocks from the sand of Venice Beach. There are six canals in the residential area with intermittent bridges allowing you cross over onto the other side. If you walk both sides of each canal, the total distance is 2.9 miles. It’s a lovely walk and you will find yourself easily distracted as you pass each unique home. Boats, floating barges and paddle boats are moored to each home. This along with flowers and foliage will have you swept away in their charm. California‘s temperate weather is a haven for all of the flora. Roses, hydrangea, brugmansia, lavender, and penstemon were blooming as they softly decorated the homes and courtyards.
We stayed in an AirBnB on the canal so we got the full experience with coffee in the morning as the ducks paddled by and evening as the sun set in the sky above. Evenings were my favorite part of the experience. As the sky began to turn to soft shades of pink, boats began to glide in the water. Bottles of wine and cheese and contented smiles onboard as couples drifted by. It’s twilight romance is undeniable. The home lots are each approximately 30 ft by 80 ft and the gardens that front the canal are the entire outside living space for the homes. Space is definitely at a premium. There is sacrifice in privacy when you live in one of these cottages. People cant help but to peer in and peek as they walk by. We felt fortunate to have the opportunity to stay and live the experience for a few short days but became very aware that we were in charming and beautiful fishbowl.
It was such a pleasure to walk through the canals each day. This is an experience no gardener should miss. If you are in the Los Angeles area and plan to visit the beach, take the detour, my garden friends.
