Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 6

If you’re taking the time to look at this website, you are probably already aware that Ann Dvorak was a very talented actress. Did you know that Ann was also a champion gardener with an amazing green thumb?

Ann had always shown a preference for the great outdoors, and when she and husband Leslie Fenton purchased a walnut ranch in the San Fernando Valley in 1934, Ann wasted little time erecting a green house. When she wasn’t working her tail off over at Warner Bros., Ann could be found tending to the flora around the ranch. In addition to the greenhouse, Bauer pots filled with colorful flowers covered the property where the main house, guest house, and pool were located. She supposedly grew black orchids and even entered and placed in local flower shows.

After she separated from Leslie Fenton and moved away from the Valley, her homes were still surround by countless plants and flowers. An acquaintance of Ann’s in the early 1970s remembers being impressed with the amount of greenery at her home in Hawaii. It appears this love of nature was one that lasted throughout her life, unlike her passionate flirtation with bacteriology. But, more on that later.