More Event Opportunities with NEW Rancho Las Uvas Program Area
Glen Ivy Hot Springs has a new addition—Rancho Las Uvas. This 6000 square foot garden and program area is located behind the South pool and Under the Oaks. It will be used to host a number of new and existing guest programs, such as herbal wreath making, garden workshops and floral design. One of the first programs will be a Nature Writing Workshop with Glen Ivy’s own Author and Naturalist, Patrick Mitchell on Monday March 14, 11 am to 1 pm. Get more details here…
Although Rancho Las Uvas is new, it feels old. Hence its first name “Rancho.”
Nearly 50 years before the first guest came to Glen Ivy, Leandro Serrano, was raising cattle and sheep on what would soon be know as Rancho Temescal the 22,000 acre Spanish land grant he and his family managed until the 1880s.
New at Glen Ivy Hot Springs, Rancho Uva Program Area
You can learn more about and see some of Leandro’s works at the Intersection of Interstate 15 and Temescal Road across from the Shell Station. Hear you will find the ‘tanning vats” that Leandro and his Luiseno Indian ranch hands used to tan cattle hides before hauling them over the Santa Ana Mountains to Dana Point. There are several Historic Markers here that tell the stories in detail.
The new Rancho’s second name “Uvas” is Spanish for Grape and pays homage to its relationship with Glen Ivy, which is also a reference to the wild grapes that grow along the creek next to the Spa. The native grapes are quite small, but the leaves which closely resemble Ivy are prominent much of the year in Coldwater Canyon once known as the “Glen” by locals and the Hot Springs owners.
Some of the unique aspects of this new area include the source of its building materials. The logs that frame the program space as well as the fences all washed down from the mountains in the heavy storms we endured earlier this winter. The stones that border its walkways were harvested from the nearby coldwater creek and the rich deep organic soil was created from years of grass clippings, tree trimmings and other green waste collected by the landscape department and composted at 150 degrees for months. Other artistic features including colorful bird of paradise flowers and benches were contributed by the maintenance department.
Rancho Las Uvas consists of a 16 X 12 foot palm-frond shaded program arbor and five distinct gardens. A tropical fruit tree orchard complete with Mango, Papaya and Guava compliments the Citrus orchard with Navel and Blood oranges, tangerines and Buddha’s hands. A California garden with plants that range from Baja to the Redwood region highlights our sustainability efforts. A medicinal and culinary herb garden and a biodynamic vegetable garden add an edible element to the gardens at the Spa.
Stop by and see this new space soon and watch as it grows and matures.
–Patrick Mitchell,
Director of Landscapes and Sustainability
[...] near the Landscaping & Sustainability Team’s loft office and greenhouses, just behind the new Rancho Uva area. Why chickens, you wonder? Live animals not only create an ambiance to connect our team to [...]
I am looking forword to spending tome in your Rancho Uva area. I bet I can learn alot! I am a gardener a Sea World San Diego. I plan to visit soon when my daughters return from college. Great ideas!