‘Cultivate' Dances Into Descanso Gardens

The notion of interesting things happening during the "after-hours" period, when places of note lock their doors or gates for the night, has long served as fanciful fodder for books, movies, and our own imaginations.

And in a garden? Storytellers would say that the trees dance after-hours, and the flowers talk, and the critters canoodle, and the moon smiles down upon it all.

There is a way, though, to actually see what happens after a garden shutters for the evening, and while it doesn't involve dancing trees or chitchatting flowers, it will focus on fun happenings created for human guests.

It's "Cultivate," a pop-up series at Descanso Gardens, and there are several celebrations ahead in 2020, with the first one raising the roof, or rather the coastal oaks, on the first day of February.

Each "Cultivate" has its own theme, with "Stories in the Stars" up on night number one, with "Spring Blooms" and "Science Quest" and other intriguing focuses still to come.

The main vibe? It's all about getting the chance to connect with the natural world "in a new way," in an ethereal after-hours setting.

Dancing, music, eats and sips for sale, and other camellia-cool convivialities are in splendid store.

And, yes, we keep mentioning camellias, because this is the moment to see them at Descanso Gardens. They're the blossom most associated with the historic spread, and they reign mightiest when January shakes February's hand, making the camellia that rare flower that grows showiest in the wintertime.

Best visit in the daytime to see the camellias, but if you want to "Cultivate" your after-hours love of Descanso Gardens? Your 2020 dates await.