#  LAX Orchid Trees Are In Gorgeous Bloom. Thank You.

     Details    Matthew Hetz   ![logo](https://www.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png)         April 14 2025      [  ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Apr-2025/030f.jpg#joomlaImage://local-images/stories/Apr-2025/030f.jpg?width=1142&height=604)    ](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/30708-lax-orchid-trees-are-in-gorgeous-bloom-thank-you)

  [LOS ANGELES](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles)   - [  Previous Article **Why Los Angeles is Doomed** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30711:why-los-angeles-is-doomed&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **L.A.’s Wanton Waste and Chronic Mismanagement Have Led to $1 Billion Deficit** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30707:l-a-s-wanton-waste-and-chronic-mismanagement-have-led-to-1-billion-deficit&catid=312)

  ###### Typography

- [](# "Smaller Font")  ****Smaller** **Small** **Medium** **Big** **Bigger****  [](# "Bigger Font")
- [](# "Previous Font Style")  ****Default** **Helvetica** **Segoe** **Georgia** **Times****  [](# "Next Font Style")

- [ Reading Mode](# "Reading Mode")

> <a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
>
>  [Comments](#disqus_thread)

 URBAN WATCH - Around this time last year, I wrote a [City Watch article](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/29350-who-mangled-part-of-las-urban-forest-los-angeles-bureau-of-street-services-or-lax-lawa) on my disbelief and frustration that the orchid trees lining Westchester Parkway under the care of LAWA/LAX had been severely and brutally pruned, even while in bloom.

After the article, LAX contact me, and in conversations with a very nice rep from LAX I explained my views. They took my feedback, but that seemed to be the end of the conversation.

My feelings were that the major city department of LAWA/LAX would just file away my complaints and continue with severe pruning of the trees.

Happily, while driving down Westchester Parkway between Airport and Sepulveda Boulevards, I saw that many of these orchid trees are in beautiful bloom. Some trees look as if they may not have survived last year’s pruning, but those trees which were let alone to grow are now filling the spaces with their flowers.

Flowering trees, or any flowering flora, have one purpose: to flower. To give the world their beauty, and many times their sweet scents.

These particular flowering orchid trees lessen the harshness of the city and can turn a bad day into a good one.

I am not an arborist, and LAX needs one if they don’t have one on call, but unless there are hazardous situations with these trees, perhaps they should not be touched for another year so they know they can bloom without fear of being attacked and give even fuller flowers.

Coming to the Los Angeles region are the FIFA World Cup, 2026, So-Fi Stadium; Super Bowl LXI, 2027, So-Fi Stadium; and the Olympics and Para-Olympics, 2028, throughout Los Angeles County.

Who knows what the country, city and world will be like when those events happen, but if cities, businesses and homeowners of the Los Angeles Region could become disciplined and not prune flowering trees, shrubs, plants when they are flowering-and right before, this place will a more beautiful and welcoming place for visitors to those events, and to residents year round.

Thank you, LAWA/LAX for permitting your orchid trees to fulfill their destiny, and bloom and flower for our benefit.

*(Matthew Hetz is a Los Angeles native, a composer whose works have been performed nationally, and some can be found [here](https://www.matthewhetz.com/)[.](https://www.matthewhetz.com/) He is the past President of the Culver City Symphony Orchestra and Marina del Rey Symphony. His dedication to transit issues is to help improve the transit riding experience for all, and to convince drivers to ride buses and trains to fight air pollution and global warming. He is an instructor at Emeritus/Santa Monica College and a regular contributor to CityWatchLA.)*

  - [  Previous Article **Why Los Angeles is Doomed** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30711:why-los-angeles-is-doomed&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **L.A.’s Wanton Waste and Chronic Mismanagement Have Led to $1 Billion Deficit** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30707:l-a-s-wanton-waste-and-chronic-mismanagement-have-led-to-1-billion-deficit&catid=312)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>