Camellias -- evergreen flowering shrubs from China and Japan -- were the passion of amateur gardener E. Manchester Boddy, who began planting them here in 1941. Today his 160-acre Descanso Gardens contain more than 100,000 camellias in more than 600 varieties, blooming under a canopy of California oak trees. The shrubs now share the limelight with a 9-acre International Rosarium, home to hundreds of varieties. This is a very relaxing place, with paths and streams that wind through the towering forest, bordering a lake, bird sanctuary, Japanese Garden & Tea House, and Boddy House art museum. Each season
features different plants: daffodils, azaleas, tulips, and lilacs in the spring; chrysanthemums in the fall; and so on. Monthly art exhibits are held in the garden's hospitality house, and the Courtyard Café offers light meals daily from 10am to 3pm. Guided tram tours, which cost $2, run Tuesday through Friday at 1, 2, and 3pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 1, 2, and 3pm. Picnicking is allowed in specified areas.
Hours
Daily 9am-5pm
Address
1418 Descanso Dr
Location
(about 20 min. from downtown L.A.)
Phone
818/952-4400
Web site
www.descansogardens.org
Prices
Admission $7 adults, $5 students and seniors 62 and over, $2 children ages 5-12, free for kids age 4 and under
Season
Closed Christmas Day
Other
Free parking
green-la.com
http://green-la.com/portal/article.php/20080107030315161