Descanso Gardens Abloom With Camellias & Plans for Spring

While spring is still a couple of months away, Descanso Gardens has all kinds of wonderful bloom-related activities planned for the next few months that are guaranteed to delight, educate and inspire. Following are some of the special events leading up to and welcoming spring in late March.

Celebrate camellias and poetry throughout the month of February at Descanso Gardens.

Camellias can bloom in our coldest and darkest winter season. These brilliant flowers, native to Asia, contain stories of resilience, hope, loss and ingenuity. Descanso supports one of the largest collections of camellias in North America, with more than 3,500 known and recorded plants, representing over 600 varieties.

In collaboration with accomplished poets Amy Uyematsu and Peter Levitt, Descanso is pleased to offer a series of programs that invite exploration, reflection, and participation. All programs take place at the Amphitheater next to the Main Lawn.

Poets from around the Los Angeles area come together to share poems about nature. Moderated by author and historian Naomi Hirahara, and featuring poets Traci Kato-Kiriyama, Kenji Liu, Phoebe MacAdams, Mariano Zaro and Gloria Alvarez, the reading will conclude with an invitation for program attendees to join a mini-workshop on writing haiku. Free with admission. No advance registration required.

Led by haiku poet Debbie Kolodji, this workshop will include time to walk in the garden and be inspired by the camellias and instruction on writing the traditional Japanese three-line poem. Free with admission. No advance registration required.

Garden visitors are invited to add their own poems to a community created haiku installation. Free with admission. No advance registration required.

Every year, chapters of the American Camellia Society host a series of events designed to foster appreciation for and knowledge of the beloved Camellia plant. Queen of the winter flowers, camellias love the Southern California climate and bloom in a rainbow of colors for months. Upcoming events celebrating the beautiful evergreen include the following (free with admission, 9am-5pm):

Beginning March 21, Descanso will stay open until 7pm weekday nights until September 2. Other activities include:

How does Descanso get cherry trees to bloom in SoCal? How does the crew plant 40,000 tulip bulbs? Stroll through the Gardens and learn about cherry blossoms, flowering trees and other seasonal spring favorites on these guided walks.

Kids of all ages can learn about how important pollinators are in the garden and participate in special activities to find Descanso’s resident pollinators.

Celebrate spring and nature at the Gardens. Local community partners including the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Latino Outdoors, Arroyos and Foothill Conservancy, California Native Plant Society, Theodore Payne Foundation, and Kidspace Children’s Museum will be on hand to talk about everything from local wildlife to planting your own California native garden.

Yes, please touch the art! Experience art in the garden like you’ve never seen or felt before. Work by artist Adam Schwerner in the Sturt Haaga Gallery, Boddy House, and throughout the landscape will intrigue your senses and demand your participation.