Descanso Gardens
One can almost hear the stories of Descanso Gardens murmuring in the quiet corners of its evocative landscape. Three decisive moments--1937, 1942 and 1957--created this unusual oasis, edged by freeways and the pressured by development. Purchased in 1937 by the iconoclastic newspaper publisher and public figure E. Manchester Boddy (pronounced with a long "o" as in BOH-dee), these 160 acres in the San Rafael Hills marked the southernmost range of Quercus agrifolia stands in southern California's chaparral-clad hills and valleys. Boddy was both a businessman and a man of the land. In particular he was a horticulturist interested in plants of Asian origin—azaleas, rhododendrons, and most of all, camellias. Out of the sorrow of the forced internment of Japanese and Japanese Americans in 1942, Boddy purchased the life work of two Japanese nurserymen—F. W. Uyematsu of the Star Nursery and F. M. Yoshimura of the Mission Nursery: perhaps as many as 100,000 camellia plants which, when underplanted in the Coast live oak forest, thrived and produced for Boddy a bonanza of blooms for the commercial flower markets of the Midwest and East Coast. Later in life, rather than selling his beloved Rancho del Descanso (descanso in Spanish means "place of rest") Boddy renamed it "Descanso Gardens" and attempted to open it as a public attraction in 1950. Civic circumstances intervened, his health waned and Boddy eventually sold his ranch-turned-garden to the County of Los Angeles.
The year 1957 marked the beginning of the modern era with the formation of the non-profit Descanso Gardens Guild, an energized, active and thoroughly motivated group of volunteers and, eventually, philanthropists. Key points in their founding statement of aims were: "to keep a dignity and standard so as to discern the difference between a park and a garden," and "to encourage the knowledge and importance to nature conservation." Through the years Guild members, in partnership with Los Angeles County, developed Descanso as a public garden with the addition of a California Natives section (1959) in collaboration with Theodore Payne; a Japanese-style stroll garden and traditional structures (1966); a Craftsman-style complex of buildings for visitor entry, offices and public use (1982); and 5+-acre International Rosarium rose garden (1995). Today, with its specialized collections, unique camellia forest beneath the Coast live oak canopy, historical signifi- cance and rare natural beauty, Descanso is focusing on telling its many stories in new and relevant ways and pursuing a long-range agenda built upon the principles and practices of sustainability.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
Just at the edge of Pasadena, in a place where it seems you can grow anything, H. E. Huntington bought San Marino Ranch in 1903 and began to build his "dream place" – a humanities center based on the concept that great collections should be built, preserved, and studied in order to yield publications, exhibits, and programs that benefit humankind. His literary, art, and plant collections, as well as the legacy of structures and landscapes that define the physical character of the site continue to power The Huntington in welcoming more than 500,000 visitors, engaging over 26,000 member families, and supporting the work of over 2,000 scholars each year.
For those who benefit from the Botanical Gardens, the experience includes a spectacular diversity of plants that can be grown in our nearly subtropical Mediterranean zone, displayed in numerous specialty landscapes covering most of the 207-acre estate property. In addition to several historically significant garden areas, a new Botanical Center, completed in 2006, brings the Rose Hills Conservatory of Botanical Science, the Helen and Peter Bing Children's Garden, and the Associate Foundation Teaching Greenhouse into working synergy with a dozen classroom and demonstration areas. Visitors this June will have the opportunity to explore the Chinese Garden, which opened in February, as well as reacquaint themselves with the Huntington Art Gallery, restored and re-landscaped for a May 2008 opening.

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden (The Arboretum) is 127 acres of southern California paradise. The Arboretum has been the set for numerous movies, television shows and advertising campaigns. Come see where Hollywood magic occurs. The Arboretum is a true public garden with education programs, events, facilities and gardens designed for learning, enjoyment and inspiration. Gardens range from the Madagascar Spiny Forest and the Aloe Trail to the Herbs of the World and the Bamboo Collection. The grounds are full of surprises including the historic Queen Anne Cottage and Baldwin Lake, as well as a new installation of willow art by Patrick Dougherty. The entire facility will be open for touring, so don't miss some of our specialty collections where experts will delight you with Nepenthes, Epiphyllum, Orchids, Palms and so much more.

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
When Susanna Bixby Bryant told Willis Linn Jepson of her plans to create a botanical garden devoted entirely to native plants, Jepson was thrilled. At that time – 1926 – no significant native plant garden existed. "Create one," said Jepson, "and it will be more of a benefit with each passing decade." The botany professor and native-plant authority knew that no state had a better plant palette with which to work than California. Bryant's Rancho Santa Ana de Canon in Orange County was perfectly positioned to showcase the more than 6,000 native species.
Now, eighty-two years later, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) is the largest botanic garden in the world devoted entirely to native California plants. In 1951, RSABG relocated to Claremont and became affiliated with Pomona College and what is now Claremont Graduate University. The research program is active in research and graduate education in the field of systematic and evolutionary botany. Departmental facilities include a world-class botanical library, herbarium, and two research laboratories.
RSABG is a unique resource whose destiny as California's Native Garden is really just unfolding. At an elevation of 1,350 feet on the outwash plain of the San Gabriel Mountains, our 86-acre Garden today houses over 4,000 documented, living wild-origin accessions. Indulge your passion for plants in California's leading native plant garden! Wear comfortable walking shoes and come prepared for discovery and enlightenment.