The Pearl Celebrates Earth Day Communing With Nature
April 22 is Earth Day, the world’s biggest movement for a healthy planet, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than communing with nature. Descanso Gardens, Natural History Museum, and LA Zoo are presenting fun and inspiring Earth Day activities, special presentations, and entertainment. If you’re hankering to see the spring wildflowers, Theodore Payne Foundation’s Wild Flower Hotline provides information on the best viewing locations, many not far from The Pearl. We’ve even discovered some enchanting secret gardens that you need to visit now!
Natural History Museum 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007
Apr 19 Celebrate our planet at the Natural History Museum’s annual Earth Day Festival. Taking place in the Nature Gardens, the day-long event includes live musical performances, hands-on activities, up-close encounters with behind-the-scenes Museum collections, and much more. The Nature Gardens include The Pond, Pollinator Meadows, Edible Garden, Living Wall, Wildlife Viewing, and Urban Waterfall and Creek Bed, featuring a diversity of plants that are magnets for birds, butterflies, lizards, squirrels, and humans!
LA Zoo 5333 Zoo Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90027
Apr 18-20 The LA Zoo presents the annual Wild for the Planet, a weekend celebration of our precious planet and its rich biodiversity. Taking place from 10am to 4pm on April 18-20, Wild for the Planet includes fun and inspiring activities, entertainment, and presentations focused on conservation, sustainability, and community. In 2021, the Los Angeles Zoo launched its first-ever Conservation Strategic Plan to protect species and the habitats we share. Every time you visit the Zoo, you are supporting global conservation efforts.
Descanso Gardens 1418 Descanso Dr. La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
Apr 21-22 Earth Week One of LA’s most popular botanical gardens, Descanso Gardens is hosting its annual celebration of native plants as part of its weeklong observation of Earth Day. View displays created by Descanso horticulture staff, and enjoy all the April blooms, including crabapple blossoms, California poppies, trumpet trees, wisteria, and the breathtakingly fragrant lilacs in the Lilac Garden. To discover the year-round beauty of Descanso, check out their Bloom Calendar.
Huntington Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Rd. San Marino, CA 91108
Explore a winding canopy of Wisteria blooming now in the Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden, Rose Garden, Shakespeare Garden, and Children’s Garden at The Huntington. Encompassing over 130 acres, The Huntington Botanical Gardens feature living collections in 16 stunning themed gardens with more than 83,000 plants, including rare and endangered species, and a laboratory for botanical conservation and research. Attention high tea fans! The Rose Garden Tea Room is open, offering an elegant selection of teas, seasonal house-made scones, and a variety of savory and sweet offerings. Reservations are highly recommended.
Arlington Garden 275 Arlington Dr. Pasadena, CA 91105
A hidden gem in the heart of Pasadena, Arlington Garden is the city’s only dedicated free public garden. This three-acre community-built Mediterranean garden includes thousands of California-native plants such as poppies, sunflowers, cactus and succulents, and orchards of orange and olive trees. Arlington Garden is not only friendly to people and pets, but also exists as a refuge for Pasadena’s native fauna. Birds, bees, and butterflies are particularly abundant and can be seen all year round.
Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden 270 Arlington Dr. Pasadena, CA 91105
Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was created by Kinzuchi Fujii for Charles and Ellamae Storrier Stearns in 1935. Fujii designed and built Japanese landscapes across Southern California in the first half of the 20th century. Storrier Stearns is his only remaining garden and the only intact example of a major Japanese-style garden created before World War II for a residence in Southern California. This pond-style stroll garden features a fifteen-foot waterfall and a formal teahouse on approximately two acres of land. The garden is considered by many to be a masterwork, and it demonstrates the adaptability of Japanese culture in modern America.
Virginia Robinson Gardens 1008 Elden Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
The Virginia Robinson Gardens is a unique historic estate, a cultural jewel that transports the visitor back to the birthplace of Beverly Hills. Built in 1911, it was once the residence of retail giants Virginia and Harry Robinson of the J.W. Robinson Co. Department Store. It occupies an illustrious place in history as the first luxury estate built in Beverly Hills. Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open to the public by appointment. Located behind the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, this beautiful six-acre property features a breathtaking garden, mansion, and pool pavilion.
UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden 707 Tiverton Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90095
Located on the UCLA campus, Mathias Botanical Garden is a 7.5 acre public garden, outdoor classroom, and research facility that maintains one of the most important living botanical collections in the U.S. Over 3,000 types of plants grow in the garden and a wide range of environments are found within its borders, from the dry desert and Mediterranean sections on the eastern end to the shaded, lush interior. A stream and series of ponds run through the center of the garden, which is home to koi and turtles.
Los Angeles County Arboretum 301 N Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, CA 91007
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is a unique 127-acre botanical garden and historical site located in what was once the heart of the historic Rancho Santa Anita in the city of Arcadia. A stroll through the Arboretum will take you through a variety of gardens and landscapes that offer beauty and tranquility as well as ideas for your own outdoor spaces. The Arboretum is also home to historic structures including the Queen Anne Cottage, Coach Barn, and Reid-Baldwin Adobe.
Photo Credits:
Photo #1: LA Arboretum
Photo #2: Natural History Museum
Photo #3: LA Zoo
Photo #4: Descanso Gardens
Photo #5: The Huntington
Photo #6: Arlington Garden
Photo #7: Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden
Photo #8: Virginia Robinson Gardens
Photo #9: UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden
Photo #10: LA Arboretum