LA County’s sun-baked botanical gardens have been hotbeds of experimental planting since early last century, when the first Camellias were introduced. Eucalyptus trees, sub-tropical plants and succulents soon followed. All thrived, and today the region is home to some of the world’s rarest plants, many of which can’t be grown outside anywhere else in the US, apart from Miami and Hawaii.
Four world-class botanical gardens now cover over 440 acres between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Pacific. They are Huntington Botanical Gardens, the Descanso Gardens, Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden and the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
Descanso Gardens
160 acres of woodland, gardens and chaparral with separate gardens devoted to Lilacs, Roses, Irises, California native plants and Japan.
Best Bits
- North America's largest collection of Camellias
- Native California garden
- Rosarium with 3000 roses, imaginatively planted with Mediterranean-type plants
Other Attractions Outdoor theater, cafe, art Gallery, gift shop
Hours Open every day except Dec 25 9am to 5pm
Admission Adults $7; seniors and students $5; children (5 to 12) $2; Guild members and under 5s free
Where 1418 Descanso Drive La Canada Flintridge, LA County, CA 91011; 818 952 4408
Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden
127 acres of plants and trees from around the world. Founded 1948.
Best Bits:
- Cicads
- Magnolias
- Junipers
- vegetable garden
Other Attractions Peacock Café, an adobe house of 1840, jungle location of early Tarzan movies
Hours Open every day except Dec 25 9am to 5pm
Admission Adults $7; students and seniors $5; children (5 to 12) $2.50; under 5s free; free on third Tuesday of each month
Where 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, LA County, California 91006-2697; 626 821 3222; mark.wourms@arboretum.org
Huntington Botanical Gardens
150 acres, 15000 plants and 14 separate gardens. They include gardens from Japan, China and Australia. Gardens devoted to herbs, roses, Shakespeare, desert plants and subtropical plants are also here. Huntington Botanical Gardens date from 1903.
Best Bits
- An Interactive conservatory, home to the famous Stinky Flower (Amorphophallus titanum)
- 100-year-old desert garden with one of the world's largest collections of succulents, many rare
- An excellent children's garden with a Topiary Volcano, a Prism Tunnel and a Rainbow Room
- Award-winning Camellia Garden
Other Attractions Art galleries, Rose Garden, tearoom, café, library
Hours Tue-Fri noon to 4:30 p.m; Sat and Sun: 10:30 am to 4:30 pm; closed public holidays
Admission Non-members free; adults $15; seniors $12; students $10; children $6; under 5s free; groups of 15+ $11 each; free on the first Thursday of every month
Where 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, LA County, CA 91108; (626) 405-2100; publicinformation@huntington.org
Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden
A living growing museum with a mission to educate and experiment. Seven frost-free acres contain over 5000 of the world's plants, including California perennials, Eucalyptus, succulents, palms, aquatics and Camellias. The garden was founded in 1929.
Best Bits
- One of America’s largest collections of tropical and subtropical plants
- North America’s tallest dawn redwood
Other Attractions Free Docent-led tours
Hours Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm; Sat and Sun 8am to 4pm; closed for university holidays
Admission Free
Where University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024; (213) 825 3620; cfelixso@ucla.edu.
