Stratford-on-Huntington A trip to California wouldn't be complete without a visit to the gardens and art galleries of the Huntington Library and Botanical Garden in San Marino. Among the many botanic collections, don't overlook the unassuming Shakespeare Garden which Ann Christoph Landscape Architect designed to suggest an English countryside scene as it might have existed in The Bard's time. Only plants mentioned by Shakespeare and plants prevalent in England during his time are displayed in an informal setting whose easy grace and diverting ambience belie the amount of research that contributed to its design. The characteristics and suitability of Shakespearean plants to the California climate influenced plant selection and design, while the historic context of the site and gardens were important factors in integrating this garden with the then newly constructed, classically designed Virginia Steele Scott Gallery. Design studies and models addressing the siting of the new gallery and developing appropriate space and features for the informal display garden along the approach to the new gallery led to inclusion of paving bridge and domed pergola structures. Ongoing efforts to relate garden features to the historic site led Christoph to be selected to prepare a plan for the expansion of the famous Rose Garden which, though a fabulous collection, had never related to the Huntington mansion as intended. Originally designed to be built on an axis from the dining room, it was laid out and planted before the building was begun. Once Henry E. Huntington realized that constructing the house according to plan would seal the destruction of a sizeable oak, the placement and angle of the house had been changed. Much later, access from the mansion to the Rose Garden to provide for public use of both the mansion and the grounds was improvised with an asphalt path. Christoph's plan improved pedestrian connections between the mansion (now an art gallery), the Shakespearean Garden she previously designed, and the Rose Garden, including a plan for expansion of the Rose Garden and arbor modifications compatible with the historic site. Caption: Though designed and constructed in 1982-84, the mature Shakespeare Garden at the Huntington Library and Botanical Garden earned Christoph a merit award from the American Society of Landscape Architects ten years later in 1992. Photos provided courtesy of Ann Christoph Landscape Architect.