Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Los Angeles Garden of Oz

Garden of Oz

Hidden in the hills of Hollywood, this secluded Oz-themed garden is dotted with dozens of thrones.

Los Angeles, California

Added By
Lew Blank
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Central display at the Garden of Oz   Los Angeles Love Affair / CC BY-SA 3.0
Reptile in the garden   Los Angeles Love Affair / CC BY-SA 3.0
Entrance to the garden   Los Angeles Love Affair / CC BY-SA 3.0
A Throne of Your Own   Los Angeles Love Affair / CC BY-SA 3.0
  Avoiding Regret
  Avoiding Regret
  Avoiding Regret
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1991, Hollywood resident Gail Cottman purchased a small plot of land directly beneath her Hollywood Hills abode. Originally intended to house a patch of roses, Cottman’s flower garden soon grew into something much more spectacular, and magical, than she could have ever imagined.

To build her garden, Cottman’s contractor, Manuel Rodriguez, placed her roses in a bed of concrete. Noticing the dullness of the cement, Rodriguez decorated the concrete with tiles and beads to brighten it up. When Cottman noticed this new flowerbed design, it reminded her of one of her favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz, whose concept of “everyone is their own wizard” had inspired her throughout her life. She used this inspiration to take her project to the next level, devoting her entire garden’s decor to “Munchkinland,” a plant-filled garden dedicated to the Land of Oz.

Weaving through trees and shrubs, the yellow-tiled path twisting through the Garden of Oz forms the “Yellow Brick Road," which directs the rare visitor through a landscape of thousands of shining tiles. Featuring a crystal ball, the “Wall of Toys,” and a mailbox where you can send a letter directly to Oz, this folk art project features hundreds of plants, tiled staircases, and towering mosaics.

There are multiple thrones in the Garden of Oz, each with a unique backstory. The garden features musical thrones dedicated to Elvis Presley and Duke Ellington and peacemaking thrones dedicated to inspirational figures such as Rosa Parks and the Dalai Lama. Also featured in Munchkinland is the Dorothy Throne, “A Throne of Your Own," and a throne dedicated to Musako Morioka, Cottman’s Japanese friend who is a survivor of the bombings of Hiroshima. Cottman later visited Morioka’s homeland to create the “Garden of Us” in the center of Hiroshima.

Although the Garden of Oz is not typically open to the public, Cottman has allegedly given the keys to all of the neighborhood’s children so that they have a direct pathway to a magical future. However, the adults wishing to see the garden can easily view it from the streetside.

Related Tags

Gardens Magic Flowers Thrones Film Outsider Art Toys Plants

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

Avoiding Regret

  • Avoiding Regret

Published

October 4, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://historian4hire.com/garden_of_oz.html
  • http://spacesarchives.org/explore/collection/environment/gail-cottman-the-garden-of-oz/
  • https://losangelesloveaffair.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/the-garden-of-oz/
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2013/11/photo-essay-wall-of-toys-at-garden-of-oz.html
Garden of Oz
3040 Ledgewood Dr
Los Angeles, California
United States
34.124716, -118.32191
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Stone Gates of Hollywood

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Bronson Cave

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Hollywood Sign

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 60

Nearby Places

Stone Gates of Hollywood

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Bronson Cave

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Hollywood Sign

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 60

Related Places

  • It is where canine couple Pongo and Perdita meet for the first time in the Disney classic ‘101 Dalmatians’.

    London, England

    Queen Mary's Garden

    The rose garden in Regent's Park where Pongo and Perdita met for the first time in Disney's "101 Dalmatians."

  • A rare Franciscan manzanita, similar to the one that led to Rowntree’s nighttime raid to save one of the endangered plants. She admitted that she’d “garnered it ghoulishly in a gunnysack.”

    Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

    Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden

    Named for a self-taught botanist who cataloged hundreds of native plants, this garden continues her work of preserving California plant life.

  • Beautiful colors found at Asticou Azalea Gardens.

    Northeast Harbor, Maine

    Asticou Azalea Garden

    East meets West in this Japanese-style garden featuring plants native to Maine’s Mount Desert Island.

  • Entrance to the garden

    Anse Royale, Seychelles

    Kot Man-ya Exotic Flower Garden

    You can find more than 200 species of tropical plants at this garden owned by a former ambassador.

  • Mill Brae Garden

    Larne, Northern Ireland

    Mill Brae Memory Garden

    An uninspiring grass verge transformed into a therapeutic community garden.

  • The rhododendron garden in May.

    Portland, Oregon

    Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

    Nestled between a college and a golf course, the garden is home to more than 2,500 rhododendrons.

  • Vale of Cashmere.

    Brooklyn, New York

    Vale of Cashmere

    This secluded ruin was once a home for exotic plants.

  • Los Angeles, California

    Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens

    This peaceful garden is hidden on the grounds of a spiritual organization founded by a pioneer yogi.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.