Descanso Gardens - This is
a huge 160 acre site in the town of La Canada Flintridge right off the
210 Freeway (south of the actual freeway - you can exit on Highway 2,
(Angeles Highway), and follow the signs to the gardens. As with similar area gardens Descanso
has a variety of outdoor events including guided tours and fitness
walks. Come in early spring - the parking lot is ablaze with trees
showering their bright yellow and pink blossoms everywhere.
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You enter through the main gate
(pay the admission) and start your walking tour. We have visited this location and will
provide additional information soon. In the meantime visit:
www.descansogardens.org and view our photos below |
Japanese Tea Gardens are
located in Van Nuys just off the 405 Freeway near where the 101 and the
405 intersect. From a visual standpoint this is a serene bucolic place
to spend an hour. Waterfalls, Koi Ponds, neatly tended pathways, well
manicured lawns, lanterns and wonderful plants complement this garden.
This is not your normal garden as you have to go through security to
enter passing over some vicious speed bumps next to the security booth.
The visual attractions are pleasing however depending on when you visit
you might experience some less pleasing sensory distractions. There is a
bit of background noise from traffic as well as planes that take off
from the nearby Van Nuys airport and the gardens happen to be located
directly next to the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant so depending on how
the winds are blowing you might smell some unpleasant odors. The gardens
are spread out along 6 acres.
There is lookout of the water reclamation facility from the east side of
the gardens. This huge facility can process millions of wastewater per
day for use in irrigating. Tours are self guided with limited hours on
Monday-Thursday from 12-4pm and on Sunday from 10-4pm. Docent led tours
can be arranged in advance - these are offered Monday through Thursday
mornings and include an informative overview of the water reclamation
plant next door. A very small gift shop is located in a trailer like
building (where you purchase your tickets) - no drinks are sold here
other than water. Visit:
www.thejapanesegarden.com
LA Arboretum is located
right off the 210 Freeway west of where the 605 Freeway meets the 210 at
310 N. Baldwin Ave. This is a 100% change of pace from the frenetic
bustle of the nearby freeways and is a great place to relax. You hardly
know your in LA from inside this arboretum! This very historical site now contains a plethora of
over 18,000 interesting plants and trees from around the world including the
Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. Each part of the world has its own
section in the Arboretum - the Madagascar plant area is well worth
visiting as many of these species represented are endemic (found only in
Madagascar).
Several greenhouses are located near the Australian section, one of
which contains carnivorous plants as well as some orchids. This
arboretum is a huge park that contains 127
acres and you can easily spend 3-4 hours here. This location was
purchased in 1875 by Lucky Baldwin who built the historic Coach Barn
and Victorian Queen Anne Cottage, both of which are still standing next
to Baldwin Lake. Unfortunately there is no bridge across Baldwin Lake so
you have to trek around the lake in either direction to reach the
historic homes. There is a nice citrus grove just minutes walking North
East of the homes and next to this grove is a large Rose garden - both
of these in the Springtime are fantastic due to the sweet smelling
blossoms and plethora of Rose blooms. Also not to be missed is the
relaxing sounds of the Meyberg Waterfall - tropical's and other
temperate plants grow here. The "Promise Tree" is near the
Africa/Australia section is is literally covered in small papers tied on
the tree branches by people. These contains individual hand written
"wishes". See below for a photo!
The LA Arboretum has long been a haven for filming movies (visit the
website listed below for a list of the movies filmed here) and if you
are lucky at the time of your visit you may see filming. At the time of
our visit part of the grounds and "the green" had been converted into a
high school for the filming of a cheerleader movie called "Fired
Up". This was a real neat to experience as we could clearly see all
the main stars of this movie as they were filming. In addition, not far
from the main filming, staff was working on drawings and props including
propellers to be used in certain scenes.
Plans are underway to develop a rare fruit garden and orchard. We cannot
wait! In the meantime enjoy our general photos of tropical rare fruit
here. Be sure to pick up the folding map of the grounds at the
ticket counter. You will probably see many peacocks and peahens walking
around the grounds as these birds thrive in such an environment. The
tram runs daily and is available for a nominal fee and covers a 2 mile
driving course through the park. A library is on site and there are
often lectures and other events held on site. There is also a nice plant
& souvenir shop near the main Cafe. Lastly, note the Summer Philharmonic
plays the "festival on the green" during select Saturday evenings in the
summer. Visit: www.aboretum.org
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