Come along with me on a walk through the Descanso Gardens located in La Canada Flintridge approximately 13 miles north of Los Angeles. The gardens encompass 160 acres, and has the largest collection of camellias in the United States, a 5 acre Rosarium or rose garden, a Japanese Garden, a bird sanctuary, streams, ponds, California native oak woodlands and native plants, flowering fruit trees and a rideable miniature railroad.

This area was once the home of the Tongva Indians or ‘people of the earth’. In 1542, the Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Pacific Expedition claimed the land on behalf of Spain. Four hundred years later, Elias Manchester Boddy bought the land and soon thereafter developed it into the gardens you can visit today. At the outbreak of World War II, Boddy purchased the camellia collections of the Yoshimura family and the Uyematsa family when the Japanese were sent to internment camps. With that turn of world events, which was tragic for those families, the plants from their nurseries became Descanso Gardens’ first signature collection. The families benefited from the sale and the plants were not lost. In 1953 Los Angeles County purchased the gardens.

The beautiful Japanese Garden was designed by Eijiro Nunokawa, and the teahouse was designed by the well known San Marino, California architect ‘Whit’ Smith. These photos were taken on trips in April and May. You can go to the gardens’ website to see what is blooming each month: https://www.descansogardens.org/visit/whats-in-bloom/

Let’s take the walk.

The peaceful Zen Garden is carefully groomed.

Colossal bird nest sculpture surrounded by yellow Billybuttons.

These look like they are from outer space.