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Great Blooms Of Fire! 10 Of The Best Gardens In Southern California
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Lily pads float in the water near a Chinese-style pavilion at The Huntington in Pasadena, California.
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Alinda Tian
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Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Spring is springing, and California’s flora are outdoing themselves. In honor of Earth Day, we invited Southern Californians to share their favorite gardens in the area.
We took calls from listeners of our daily news program, AirTalk, which airs on LAist 89.3. Here’s what they came up with, mixed in with some favorites from the LAist team:
Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge
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Larry Mantle’s been the host of AirTalk for 39 years and grew up in L.A. He says one of his favorite spots is Descanso Gardens.
Location: 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge
Phone: 818-949-4200
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
The Huntington, San Marino
No discussion of favorite gardens would be complete without mentioning the botanical gardens at The Huntington in San Marino. Manny Valladares, an AirTalk producer, said, “I recall the summer of 2020 having a chance to go. It was nice seeing a beautiful array of plants at a really depressing time for folks.”
Location: 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino
Phone: 626-405-2100
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Tuesday)
Arlington Garden, Pasadena
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Larry also mentioned the “hidden” Arlington Garden in Pasadena. "It was a vacant lot that they had and they turned into this incredible garden," he said.
Location: 275 Arlington Drive, Pasadena
Phone: 626-578-5434
Velaslavasay Panorama, West Adams
Listener Michael in West Adams recommended the “beautiful meditation garden” behind the Velaslavasay Panorama at West 24th and Hoover streets. According to their website, “Central features of the garden are the variety of intoxicating flora, carnivorous plant life, and poisonous euphorbia within the garden's exquisitely wrought gazebo.”
Location: 1122 West 24th Street, Los Angeles
Phone: 213-746-2166
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach
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Alex from Long Beach shouted out the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach for its beautiful gardens and koi pond.
Location: 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach (on Cal State Long Beach campus)
Phone: 562-985-8420
Hours: Reservations are required
L.A. County Arboretum, Arcadia
Cindy in West Hills highlighted the Los Angeles County Arboretum, “There's history, there's peacocks, and there are lots of activities for families,” including goat yoga.
Location: 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia
Phone: 626-821-3222
Hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes Peninsula
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The South Coast Botanic Garden was a pandemic refuge for Jillian in Redondo Beach. The SCBG was reclaimed from a landfill starting in 1961.
Location: 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula
Phone: 424-452-0920
Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, Santa Barbara
Monica in Glendale said that if you’re up for a bit of a drive, the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden is “absolutely stunning, and you can spend the whole day there.”
Location: 1212 Mission Canyon Rd, Santa Barbara
Phone: 805-472-3851
Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Reservations can be made up to two months ahead of visit)
Lotusland, Montecito
Bonnie in Whittier has another Santa Barbara area recommendation: Lotusland in Montecito. “It's a little hard to get reservations there because of the limited parking, but it's well worth the wait.”
Location: Cold Spring Road, near Sycamore Canyon Road (exact directions provided on reservation)
Phone: 805-969-3737
Hours: By reservation only, tickets are released on a schedule
Gottlieb Native Garden, Beverly Hills
According to listener Steve from Venice, the Gottlieb Native Garden is an “absolutely gorgeous terraced one acre property full of birds and wildlife.” It’s “a must see if you're thinking of converting your yard to California Natives!” (There is also a virtual tour.)
Location: Private home
Hours: Reservations are required
Correction: A previous version of this article identified the lead photo as a Japanese-style tea house in the caption. It is a Chinese-style pavilion. We regret the error and have updated the caption to accurately reflect the style of the structure in the photo.
Listen to the conversation
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SoCal’s Botanical Paradise: The Best Gardens To Visit This Spring
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