Orphan plants get new life at L.A. artists colony

Artist James Hill works on a sculpture in his garden. When he and his wife moved to the Brewery a dozen years ago, there were few plants. The couple rescued several Brewery plants.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The gardens at the Brewery are all container ones, such as James Hill’s.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

“There’s a joke that nothing ever leaves the Brewery,” says Gretchen Zalkind, resin artist, gardener and resident since 1996. “The theme of the Brewery is finding industrial things, making them pretty — and making them your own,” she says of her mostly rescued plants.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Sculptor and painter Bruce Gray’s “forest,” one of the largest Brewery gardens at 25 by 40 feet, is a tangled and delightful compilation of 200 planters and hundreds of riotous plants snaking up sculpture, trellises and each other.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

A sculpture of a cat in Bruce Gray’s garden at the Brewery.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Bruce Gray’s forest garden at the Brewery provides the backdrop for a whimsical sculpture.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Holly Tempo’s small but aesthetically balanced and ordered garden of specimen plants in metallic containers. Her flowering palette begins with yellows and oranges and reds and moves to purple as the seasons change.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Inside Llyn Foulkes’ garden room, the eye of the artist is evident in compositions of found objects and potted plants.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Artist Llyn Foulkes placed found objects in a pattern around the base of one of his trees.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

An artful display by Llyn Foulkes. “I just put the plants in bigger containers and set out a square,” he says. “I had to save myself by establishing nature here.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Artist Llyn Foulkes relaxes in his lush garden at the Brewery. “No art can compete with nature,” he says.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The view from Bruce Gray’s garden at the Brewery.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)