Garden Spots- Southern California
Have had a small hiatus from blogging this month due to the need to do a bit of family visiting.
Many of you have heard me speak of my daughters, Christine and Carolyn who are now well on their way into adult adventures. I was reminded as I drove down to L.A., to visit Christine, that there is a superb Botanic Garden in Santa Barbara. I wanted to pass along a plug for this lovely location to all of you if you are down that way. This public garden is broken up into sections displaying different flora from the various regions of California. Needless to say that this is a great place to see native plants. That’s actually their mission statement- to display California Native plants in a natural setting. Its also a peaceful location to walk with shaded creek areas and woodlands. There are enough trails to get a good walk in. The garden is up at the top of Mission Canyon and is easy to find following the signs for the Historic Mission Site (also an interesting stop). Nestled at the top of the canyon, the garden has great views and is set out of the city sounds.
1212 Mission Canyon Road Santa Barbara hours: 10 am-5 pm You need a reservation to go there. Check entry fee online.
When the girls were little we really enjoyed the Santa Barbara Zoo too. Caroyln is now studying Biology up at Chico State and has always had an interest in the big cats i.e. lions, tigers and cheetas. Hence, we spent part of many vacations visiting various zoos. This was not so bad because it turns out that zoos have a lot of interesting plants too! I guess they do call them Zoologic Gardens.
Christine is down in Glendale teaching now. She took a break from the whiny 8th graders to give me a tour of the L.A. Arboretum
Like most Arboretums the garden is broken out into regions of the world and has acres of astounding flora with a definite feel of tropical environs. Christine and her fiance, Carlos, found a lovely inner hidden garden filled with fragrant roses and citrus trees to have their wedding in next April. Guess she is a chip off the old block. It is a beautiful place and was lovely this month (November) with less heat and clear skies. Good views to the mountains after a short rain the day before I arrived. This garden also has some interesting sculptures, water features and masonry areas. This is a vast place so if you visit bring comfortable shoes. There is a tram for tours also.
301 Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, CA hours: 9 am- 7 pm for entry fee check online
I hope you liked this mini travel log. I love to explore and spend lots of time finding hiking spots, public gardens and cool old stuff so will incorporate some of these areas in the blog from time to time.
Happy travels!
Update 5/2025
We recently purchased a family membership to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and I wanted to add some more pictures and information about the gardens, since I go there quite often and take lots of pictures!
This is a very old property dating back to the Rancho days and some of the buildings from the adobe and Victorian eras are still intact. One of the areas land barons, Lucky Baldwin, developed the site adding ornamental gardens, stables for his race horses and orchards. The Santa Anita Racetrack is right across the street and Lucky was instrumental in the development of the track and racing in California. He was also very fond of Parrots and some of the now wild Parrots of L.A. came from his property.
Today the extensive grounds showcase beautiful Roses as well as water gardens, perennial borders, native plants and an Australian and African section. The Arboretum has some fascinating exotic trees with many tropical plants incorporated.
Resident Peacocks welcome visitors to the gardens with the wild shrieks and long plumage hanging behind them as they strut around the entry. Docents are on hand to give advice and answer questions most days. There is also a cafe and gift shop near the entry to get lunch or a snack.
Waterfalls, streams and fountains are scattered around the site with varied themes to the areas they reside in. This is a great park to just meander in. Forget about time and no worries of getting lost. There are maps along the main trails throughout the garden. Actually, there is a paved loop and some other roads so the gardens are accessible to wheelchairs and walkers plus strollers. There is also a tram tour available at additional cost.
People come to walk for exercise here daily and there is a sense of community at the Arboretum. Lots of activities and events are offered and it is a very child friendly place. Another interesting feature is a horticultural library that is open to visitors. Plant, garden and botanical literature are stocked on the shelves.
I didn’t include photos of the Australian and African area as its not as nice as the Huntington’s collection but it does have a vary interesting path impressed with molds and mosaics to resemble a snake skin with small designs in the path as you stroll along the winding path.
The County maintains the property so it isn’t as fancy and kept up as the Huntington but the Arboretum is worth a visit for its many impressive specimen trees, gorgeous Rose Garden and Citrus orchard, historical buildings and lovely views to the Mountains.
My Travelogue is now available and I have extensive write ups on public and botanical gardens in the U.S.A and abroad. I keep adding more! Enjoy the commentary, beautiful photos and information from the perspective of a landscape designer about ideas you could use in your home garden.
