What to Know
- Open Days and Garden Tours, presented by The Garden Conservancy
- Los Angeles Garden Tours are blooming on April 14
- Five Palm Springs gardens will be on view in early March; tours are $10 each
Are there more petals ready to spring throughout Southern California and its verdant environs or did more raindrops fall over the first few days of February?
It's a quizzy and quirky question we don't actually need the answer to, but flowers are very much in our thoughts and daydreams these days, especially following the dampness that descended upon Los Angeles courtesy of the recent atmospheric river event.
Where, though, can we locate some of the lushest plots around, those off-view spots that brim with blooms, pathways, sweet benches, and shade trees?
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Look to The Garden Conservancy, the group behind Open Days, a sprightly series of garden tours that put the focus on sublime private plots around the country.
This means you'll get to go beyond the vine-covered walls, and through intriguing gates, to experience several off-view wonderlands of Southern California, the gardens that spring to life behind fences and down driveways.
Tickets are now available for several Los Angeles and Pasadena garden tours, but you won't need to wait for April to begin your lookie-loo-ing: Pretty Palm Springs is up on March 2.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
The Dry Fall Gardens, which finds its character in the area's canyons, is on the list, as is Casa Madrina, a '30s-era cottage with classic beauty (and flora that fits its vintage vibe).
Xeriscaping is a central feature of several Southern California yards, while shade-giving trees, bright orange poppies, and gravelly nooks offer color and contrast.
If you'd like to try out one tour, you can: $10 is the price for each outing.
There's a symposium looking at Frank Lloyd Wright and gardens at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on April 13; that's $175 for non-members.
The Garden Conservancy's "... mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate America's gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public." Plants, sky, and sun: These are sources of happiness for many people and communities, and celebrating those who grow is a noble pursuit, one that puts a spring in our spring-loving step.
Check out all of the frilly and floral and fabulous spots joining the 2024 line-up, and begin plotting your plot-oriented outings in March and April. That's when the wilder, tangly-ier, vine-ier world will begin to awaken around our region, not long after the rains and colder days cease.
