Sun Valley in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Theodore Payne
Embracing the Nature of California
Early Life
As a young man, Theodore Payne (1872-1963) immigrated to Southern California from England to pursue a career in horticulture. He fell in love with the local flora, especially our wild flowers, which were threatened by development. Mr. Payne worked as a gardener and seedsman before opening his own nursery in 1903. By 1906, he was cultivating California wild flowers and offering their seeds for sale.
Passion For Native Plants
Over the course of his long career, Mr. Payne concentrated more and more on California native plants and became a powerful advocate for their use in urban landscapes. He brought more than 400 different native plants into cultivation, lectured and published on their horticultural value, and developed many important public and private gardens.
The Foundation
When "Theo"retired in 1960, his supporters formed the non-profit Theodore Payne Foundation to honor and sustain his legacy. The Foundation carries on Theodore Payne’s extraordinary vision to re-wild the gardens of California. We do this by promoting the value of native plants, working for their preservation, and making plants available to all. Today the Foundation helps people fall in love with our unique flora and inspires new generations to keep our landscapes Californian.
Erected by Theodore Payne Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry.
Location. 34° 14.238′ N, 118° 21.573′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Sun Valley. Marker can be reached from Tuxford Street east of Wheatland Avenue. At the end of a narrow driveway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10459 Tuxford Street, Sun Valley CA 91352, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Stonehurst Recreation Center Building (approx. 1.2 miles away); Roscoe Elementary School (approx. 1˝ miles away); Sunland Welcome Nature Garden (approx. 2.4 miles away); Sunland Park (approx. 2.6 miles away); Consider: Seven Generations (approx. 3.2 miles away); Bobbi Trout (approx. 3.3 miles away); Amelia Earhart (approx. 3.3 miles away); Hilder Florentina Smith (approx. 3.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.
Regarding Theodore Payne. Visitor center, bookstore, and nursery are open Tuesday-Saturday 8:30am-4:30pm.
Also see . . . Theodore Payne Foundation Website. (Submitted on June 5, 2018.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 5, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 293 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on June 9, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 5, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.