Dodger Stadium landscaping crew transforms grounds to a certified botanic garden

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Dodger Stadium, known to fans as Blue Heaven On Earth, has gone green, becoming the only stadium in the country with a officially accredited botanic garden. Leading the effort to obtain the distinction was Dodger Stadium's landscape manager Dr. Chaz Perea, who has a PhD degree and teaches horticulture at Mt. San Antonio College.

"A botanic garden means that you are a living collection of plants. It's a living museum," said Dr. Perea. "It's the most visited stadium in the world, but people are really focused on getting from the auto gate to their seat. But if you're observant on your way in, you'll see all sorts of fun species."

Dr. Perea affectionately calls his landscaping team the Guardians of Ravine in reference to Chavez Ravine, the historical hilly land on which the stadium sits.

"The landscaping has defined Dodger Stadium since it opened in 1962, really celebrating the landscape that defines this part of Southern California," said Janet Marie Smith, Executive Vice President of Planning & Development with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"There is no other ballpark in America that has a public park that wraps it," said Smith. "Chaz and his landscape team have really worked hard to bring that park like setting into the property."

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