Descanso's Cherry Blossoms Begin to Pop

We all refer to the seasons that start the year as "winter" and "spring," but if you're a nature-obsessed, petal-seeking Southern California, "pink" and "purple" are fine if whimsical stand-ins for the seasonal names.

For we see an abundance of pink blossoms in the wintertime 'round these parts, from the January-strong camellias to the fruit trees that begin to show off, gloriously, when March grows near.

And the purple season? Hello, wisteria and jacaranda. Those seasons arrive a little later along, in hues of lovely lavender and grape.

Cherry blossoms, those pinky favorites, are a common sight come March in some of our largest public gardens, and cherry blossom festivals continue to flower into April.

But where can you go to find a few pink-pretty, white-fluttery flowers over Valentine's Weekend?

Oh hurrah: The Okame cherry blossoms of Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge are beginning to open around the property's Japanese Garden.

And, while there, you might make time for the Camellia japonicas, which are not cherry blossoms, no, but word from staffers is that the pretty blossoms are absolutely bursting.

It isn't tulip time yet at Descanso Gardens, so hold your horses, but, yep, you betcha: That spectacular season is on fast and fabulous approach.

So what's your favorite season around Southern California: pink season or purple season? Or did you just say "orange season," when the California poppies begin carpeting select hillsides and valleys?

We get that, too.

Spring is more than a month away, but it has sent a few picturesque signs ahead, including the early bloomers at Descanso Gardens.

Want to see the cherry trees in their most regal and riotous flowering forms? That's coming very soon, so stay patient and keep tabs on the What's in Bloom page at Descanso Gardens.