流芳園, the Huntington's Chinese garden, is a wonder. Crafted only in the last two decades, it already captures the delight of wandering through the scholars' gardens of Suzhou which are its inspiration. 
Lovely vistas, intimate and distant, around corners and through openwork windows and oddly shaped doors... I was impressed also at the ways it works in its Southern California setting - that cloud-covered hill in the distance, for instance. (The land around Suzhou is flat so all its mountains are fanciful.) And the dark green tree at left is a venerable Coastal Live Oak! Also venerable were the splendid 盆景 penjing (Chinese antecedents to Japanese bonsai) which give the thrill of Suzhou's play with scale..jpeg)
The nearby Japanese garden (started in 1912) and its 盆栽 bonsai collection (started in 1968) are going strong too, also melding distant and near. The bald cypress and California juniper below are trees from this continent.
And here are some coastal live oaks, their California hosts.
