Tag Archives: gardens

The Huntington Gardens

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The Huntington is one of the first gardens I ever visited, and it completely converted me.  I remember paying my $20 admission and thinking there was no possible way that this would be worth it.  In fact, I decided to start in the desert garden, figuring it would be the least interesting.  About a hundred feet past the front entrance I realized just how wrong I was.  (And that desert garden was like a Dr. Seuss wonderland!)

I’ve shared several of my other favorite gardens (Descanso and the L.A. Arboretum), but I always think of the Huntington as the grandfather of them all.  It’s by far the most pristine, and the layout makes it feel grander and more expansive than the others.

I’ll be honest though — this one is my least favorite during the summer.  There are a lot of open expanses in full sun and uphill climbs, so it can get pretty hot.  However, on a spring or fall day (we enjoy it in the winter, too), there are few places quite so beautiful.

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The Huntington Library + Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108

The Details:

  • How big: 120 acres of gardens (grounds are actually 207)
  • How long:  10:30am-4:30am during the summer, not open on Tuesdays

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Why We Love It:

  • Meticulously Kept – This garden just feels formal.  Everything – the plants, the paths, the buildings – all are well-maintained and established.  Every little leaf and blade of grass is in its’ place.

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  • Spectacular Japanese and Chinese Gardens – The themed gardens here really shine.  Both the Japanese and Chinese gardens are not only beautiful – but large – with lots of details, bridges, and structures.  There is everything from a tea pavilion to a bonsai display.  I love the Japanese Garden at Descanso as well, but this is on a much grander scale.  There are plenty of peaceful spots here including the bamboo forest.

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Worth Noting:

  • Free Day – Admission to The Huntington is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of every month with advance tickets.
  • The Japanese Garden is closed for renovations (and will re-open Spring 2012).  I have not confirmed this in person, but it looks like you can still see the bonsai trees and Zen garden during the closure.

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There are a few more pictures in these posts here and here.  If you venture out to the Huntington, I’d love to hear what you think!

Filed under Gardens & Special Places, Travels Near & Far. Tagged with , .

By Kelly
July 7, 2011

4 comments

L.A. Arboretum: Favorite Places + Gardens

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Now that we’re celebrating 2011, I wanted to share another one of my favorite local places – the L.A. Arboretum.  I love going to a garden on January 1st – it is a wonderful feeling to start the year off someplace quiet, crisp, beautiful.  I’m working on some site updates over here, and this one will be added to my “Garden” tab (so far I’ve shared my thoughts on Descanso Gardens).

I will admit that the first time we visited the arboretum, I was a little hesitant.  I think it was the name “arboretum.”  It just sounds kind of stuffy to me.  However, this garden is almost the exact opposite — a wide open carpet of lawn and meandering paths and many, many peacocks.  When we are looking for a long walk and more space, this is where we go.

L.A. Arboretum

301 North Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA, 91007

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The Details:

  • How big: 127 acres
  • How long:  9-5pm

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Why We Love It:

  • Peacocks — The Arboretum may not be the only place to encounter peacocks.  However, I don’ t think you’ll ever find quite so many in one place.  8?  10?  12?  There are a lot.  Perhaps the sheer number of peacocks explains why they seem so spectacular here – flying up into the trees, preening on a park bench, taking a nap in a flower bed.  I never really noticed how they seem to change colors in the light.  This is the only place where I’ve been able to get up close enough to see that subtle change from shimmery green to blue to gold.  (I blab on some more about peacocks in this post.)  Oh, and there are some geese and ducks, too.

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  • Wide Open Spaces – This garden has wide black-top paths and lots of grassy lawns which makes it popular with families.  We always see a few children playing catch and running around (and sadly, sometimes bothering the birds).  However, there is enough space here that it’s still easy to put some distance between you and the other visitors if you’re looking for a more peaceful visit.

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Arboretum

Worth Noting:

  • Family Events + Concerts – The garden has frequent concerts and events if that’s your thing.  (We’ve had to turn around and leave after finding the parking lot packed full with families there for a concert, so it’s worth checking their schedule before you head over.

If you decide to visit, let me know what you think.  We find it’s a nice addition to our revolving lists of day trips.

Anyone else getting out there and exploring in 2011? I’m already thinking about where we’ll go this weekend, and I would love to be inspired by your ideas.

http://www.arboretum.org/index.php

Filed under Gardens & Special Places, Travels Near & Far. Tagged with , , , , , .

By Kelly
January 4, 2011

5 comments

Favorite Places: Descanso Gardens

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One of my goals for this site is to include details about some of my favorite gardens.  We are finally going to start filling out the Garden tab up top.  I thought we would start with one of my local favorites: Descanso Gardens.

While I would encourage you to visit the official Descanso Gardens site when planning a visit to double check pricing, seasonal hours, and special events, I wanted to give you my take.  So here we go.  (All of the images are together at the bottom.)

Descanso Gardens

1418 Descanso Dr
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
Get Directions

Category:
Unverified listing
PhotoPhoto

The Details:

  • How big: 150 acres
  • How long: Hours during the week vary. 9-5pm on weekends.

Why we love it:

While Descanso Gardens is technically larger than the Huntington, it has a more intimate feel.  Even on crowded days, there are plenty of places in the Oak Forest and Camellia Forest where you can find yourself alone on a shady path surrounded by trees.  On the whole, the garden does a nice job of creating a very natural, peaceful escape.  Some of the highlights (for me) include:

  • Oak forest — I love wandering through the oak forest which is usually very quiet.  I take a picture of the same gnarled old oak tree every time I visit (even though I do get made fun of for doing this).  I can’t help it.  There is something completely magical about this spot.

  • Rose garden – The rose garden features plenty of benches, arbors, and (of course) roses.  Rose gardens are usually not my favorite, but the casual grass pathways make this spot feel less stuffy.  We’ve taken some of my favorite photographs here.

  • Full Moon Tea House and Koi pond – This blue roofed pagoda is a wonderful shady spot to take a break and watch the fish.

  • Boddy House – The Boddy House is at the top of a steep slope, but we (usually) enjoy the climb.  The actual house features antiques as well as history about the gardens.  We usually only spend a few minutes inside, but it’s a a fun respite from the forest.  They also feature artists openings here, and we purchased one of our favorite pieces on a trip to Descanso.

  • Descanso Cafe & Gift Shop – We frequently stop for a bite to eat in their outdoor dining area.  Their gift shop, while small, is one of my favorites.  They have a great selection of garden themed gifts along with some beautiful housewares and jewelry.  (Note to husband: I still want the white ceramic squirrel lamp.  Hint-hint.)

Worth noting: We’ve never done these things, but I feel I should mention them in case you’d like to…

  • Tram ride:  There is a $4 tram ride running several times a day if you’re interested in a tour.

  • Special events, Camellia Lounge: Descanso hosts many special events.  During the summer, they host a cocktail and appetizer event at the Full Moon Tea House Tuesdays through Thursdays.  While I haven’t been, it sounds really lovely especially considering the beautiful surroundings.  (More information here.)

For the Kids:

  • Child Sized Hedge Maze – I don’t want to oversell this.  It’s small.  Very small.  But cute.

  • Enchanted Railroad ($3, Check for hours.) – There is a small diesel train replica that takes guests on a short loop through the gardens.  Very charming, even without kids.

  • Open Grassy Areas – Picnicking is not allowed, but there are lots of grassy areas to relax with the family or play a game of tag.

The Pictures:

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The photos of the roses, turtles, and Full Moon Tea House are courtesy of my husband.  The others are mine.  ;-)

Filed under Gardens & Special Places. Tagged with , , .

By Kelly
July 14, 2010

No comments

Day 7: G is for Gracious

Oh, G.  Goodness Gracious.  I’m a day late on this one.  My husband was home sick on Monday, and I gave in to the sympathy nap (where you decide to help the sick person feel better by also not doing anything but mope and sleep and watch bad TV with them).

I know it’s not much of an excuse.  I even had his ever helpful suggestions on what to post.  From the couch, I could hear him calling out “what about goats?”  “Or maybe giraffes?”  “Gnomes?”

I’m pretty sure I heard “gout” and “gallbladder” too.  Don’t worry – I skipped those.  Instead, we have –

GG is for Gardens

Moonbridge

I’ve talked about this a bit before, but gardens are my quintessential inspiration spot.  We are really lucky to live in Southern California where there are lots of beautiful gardens you can explore in any season.  However, I also make a point to seek out new gardens when we travel.  I had a hard time narrowing down pictures for this post because the landscapes we’ve traversed and photographed are so varied – from expertly manicured formal gardens, bamboo forests, towering greenhouses with catwalks where you can spy on all of the foliage from above, fields of wildflowers where peacocks and other fantastical birds wander in and out from behind trees.

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I don’t know if I’ll ever be much of a gardener.  I certainly have not had much luck with houseplants.  However, I feel a connection with anyone who spends such time and care to create a serene and beautiful place and then invites others over to visit, to meditate, to take part even for the span of a short walk or maybe just long enough to take a nap under a tree.

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Although there are certainly some gardens that are larger than others or some that may have a more exotic collection of plants, I think that the inspiration and peace you can find in a garden seems to be universal.

G is for Gloomy, Gold and Gray

Goldenthread

Today, it’s raining outside (in stark contrast to the sunny photos above).  I find that this is the perfect sort of day for staring outside and thinking.  I spent a few minutes today just playing with materials and making plans for what comes next.  The gold thread and fabric looked so pretty and inviting on the gray window ledge.

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Rain-smudged windows are not common here, so I decided to soak up the gloom while it lasted.  I even snapped a photo of a giraffe and some gnomes.  Honey, this one’s for you.

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Hope you are inside somewhere cozy and warm.

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Filed under Inspiration. Tagged with , , .

By Kelly
January 19, 2010

2 comments