From Macabre to Marigolds: Vincent Price’s Horticultural Haven

May 27, 1911

On this day, dear reader, we celebrate the birth of a most intriguing figure in the annals of both cinema and horticulture: Vincent Price.

While his name may conjure images of Gothic horror and spine-chilling performances, this remarkable man had a softer, more verdant side that I feel compelled to share with you.

It seems that our dear Vincent was as passionate about his garden as he was about his craft on stage and screen.

Picture, if you will, the shady side of his California abode, adorned with hundreds of cymbidium orchids—a testament to his refined taste and nurturing spirit.

But his horticultural pursuits did not end there, oh no!

Wildflowers, cacti, poinsettias, and geraniums all found a home in his multi-level garden, a veritable Eden of his own making.

One can almost see Vincent returning home from a night of theatrical frights, his keen eyes scanning the streets for discarded botanical treasures.

These unfortunate plants, cast aside by less appreciative souls, would find themselves resurrected under his tender care. How fitting for a man so often associated with the macabre to breathe new life into these forgotten green spirits!

Ah, dear gardener, it is the eccentricities of Vincent's garden that truly capture the imagination. An old bathtub, repurposed as a pond, held pride of place at the center of his leafy domain. One can only imagine the delight he took in this whimsical water feature, perhaps seeing in it a reflection of his own unconventional nature.

And then, there was the totem pole - a veritable titan of timber with quite the sordid history.

This 40-foot colossus, once pilfered from an Alaskan village by the roguish John Barrymore, found its way into Vincent's garden via the Barrymore estate. The carved visages of a killer whale, raven, eagle, and wolf stood sentinel over the garden until 1981 when Vincent generously donated it to the Honolulu Museum of Art.

Luckily, the tale of the totem does not end there! As fate would have it, a University of Alaska professor named Steve Langdon stumbled upon a photograph of Vincent standing proudly beside his arboreal artifact.

Steve's reaction, as he recounted, was one of bewilderment:

"It was totally out of place. Here's this recognizable Hollywood figure in a backyard estate with a totem pole ... that was surrounded by cactus."

Through Steve's tireless efforts, this cultural treasure was at last returned to its ancestral tribe in Alaska by 2015, closing a chapter on one of the more peculiar stories in horticultural history.

When Vincent's final curtain fell in 1993, his family honored his wishes with a poetic send-off.

His ashes, along with crimson rose petals, were scattered off Point Dume - a location chosen with characteristic wit, as Vincent had warned against the polluted waters of Santa Monica Bay. In a touching finale, they included his beloved gardening hat - a straw creation adorned with a heavy wooden African necklace - in this last performance.

And so, dear reader, we bid farewell to Vincent Price - actor extraordinaire, gardener supreme, and a man who knew that true horror lies not in the fantastical but in a garden devoid of love and whimsy.