It’s not here yet, it only feels like it. Spring will officially spring on Saturday, March 20, but you can already feel and sense its imminent arrival. A walk through the lush grounds of nearby Descanso Gardens this past weekend proved it so.
Some flowers and blooms are already busting out on stage, while others eagerly await their seasonal debuts. The 150-acre botanical garden in La Cañada Flintridge features a wide canvas of mostly forested grounds, filled with brilliant flower beds, soaring trees, and lush shrubbery, along with artificial streams, ponds, and lawns.
We strolled those lawns over the past weekend, camera in hand, and around every curve was a photo opportunity. Those blossoms that could yet, showed their best faces to the lens.
Descanso Gardens features internationally renowned botanical collections and seasonal horticultural displays, and according to its website, the Gardens are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums as a museum of living collections.
The green hideaway, complete with ducks and geese, and a wealth of birds, welcomes more than 500,000 visitors annually.
The main collections include California native plants and oak woodlands; one of the largest collections of camellias in the Western Hemisphere; a rose garden with specimens from all corners of the globe; and presentations of lilacs, maple trees, cherry trees and iris. No wonder it’s been designated an International Camellia Garden of Excellence by the International Camellia Society.
So here’s the thing: Yes, you can visit, but of course, everything is properly socially distanced, and you’ll need to wear a mask, of course. Members can enter without an advance ticket, but non-member visitors and guests not covered under a membership, will need advance tickets with timed entry. No tickets will be sold at the gardens.
The gardens are also not at full capacity, so the walks are uncrowded and serene, with spectacular views in each direction you look, whether admiring the Japanese cherry blossoms, the splashes of colorful roses, or looking across from a hilltop trail to the San Gabriel Mountains, you’ll wonder why it’s taken you so long to get here.
Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011. HOURS: Through March 21: Monday–Friday: 9 am to 5 pm. Saturday–Sunday: 9 am to 5 pm. March 22 – May 31-Monday–Friday: 9 am to 7 pm; Saturday–Sunday: 9 am to 5 pm. Descanso is open 364 days a year and is closed on December 25. There is lots of free parking.
