Yesterday, after many years of driving by the signs on the 210 and saying to myself, 'I need to check out Descanso Gardens,' I finally made it. Normally, I take myself to the Huntington Gardens. I was quite pleased with Descanso, located in La Canada Flintridge, near the foot of the mountains. Descanso is less formal (& cheaper to get into, only $8 compared to the $20 entry fee at Huntington) than the Huntington and I enjoyed that aspect. The approach at Descanso is with more California natives (plants), although they have a lovely lilac garden that I need to go back and see & inhale when the lilacs are in full bloom. Presently, all of the camellias are out and blooming and they have a ton of these- all sorts of beautiful varieties. The part I liked best about Descanso were the numerous trails that you can get lost on and feel completely disconnected to the city. This place is worth taking that drive out on the 2 and is quite easy to find.
www.descansogardens.org
