Celebrate Earth Day with Virtual Nature Tours & Live Streaming
Earth Day is right around the corner, but staying in doesn’t mean missing out on the beauty of nature. Some of your favorite gardens and outdoor oases, including Huntington Botanical Gardens, Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, and Theodore Payne Foundation, are offering virtual tours and live streaming. You might even be inspired to get some plants of your own, to spruce up your balcony and freshen your home! We found some local resources that offer curbside pickup and/or delivery.
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums and the modern environmental movement was born. Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people participating every year. Join Earth Day for 24 hours of action in a global online mobilization that will fill the digital landscape with global conversations, calls to action, performances, video teach-ins and more. While Earth Day may be going digital, their goal remains the same: to mobilize the world to take the most meaningful actions to make a difference.
Huntington Botanical Gardens Virtual Tours
Locate and learn about thousands of flowers, plants, and trees in over 120 acres of stunning gardens with The Huntington Botanical Gardens virtual tours. Explore the Rose Garden, Chinese Garden, Camellia Collections, Japanese Garden, Conservatory, Dinosaur Plants, Mediterranean Plants, and Children’s Tour. Each tour is chock full of gorgeous photos, detailed docent narratives, maps and site plans.
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve Live Stream
Each spring, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve comes alive with the seasonal surprises of the Mojave Desert Grassland habitat. The wildflower season generally lasts from as early as mid-February through May, with a variety of wildflowers creating a mosaic of color that changes daily. Encompassing more than 1,700 acres, poppy blooms carpet the property’s undulating hills. This year the reserve has captured its peak via live camera so you can enjoy the flower show at home!
Theodore Payne Foundation Native Plant Online Garden Tour
Theodore Payne Foundation’s Native Plant Garden Tour is a two-day festival featuring tours of some of the most beautiful gardens in the greater Los Angeles area. This year the festival has gone digital! Through videos and photography, the foundation has captured the season in all its glory and uploaded the content for everyone to enjoy. The tour includes virtual visits to 42 gardens, including strolls through the landscapes of private homes in Santa Monica, Del Rey, Long Beach and more. Viewers can also follow along on YouTube to see the event’s “garden tour social,” that includes commentary by horticulture experts.
LA County Arboretum & Botanical Garden
301 N Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
The garden is open, but tickets are now limited to preserve safe distancing and must be purchased in advance. Los Angeles County Arboretum is a unique 127-acre botanical garden and historical site, as well as an official wildlife sanctuary. In addition to their famous peafowl, visitors will see species of resident and migratory birds, aquatic creatures, and numerous species of small reptiles and mammals. 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 outdoor space at home.
4368 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Located in the heart of Silver Lake, Sunset Nursery has been family owned and operated since 1959. The nursery carries a wide selection of house plants, from small to large, to freshen your interior. Add pizzaz to your balcony with an array of colorful cacti and succulents, California native and drought tolerant plants. They also offer flower pots imported from all over the world and an extensive line of organic fertilizers and eco-friendly plant products to keep your plants happy and healthy. Sunset Nursery is doing drive-thru pickup orders only. To make a purchase, review the inventory online, then call 323-661-1642 to place your order and arrange your pick up day.
1255 N Sycamore Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Plant yourself in one of Los Angeles’ premiere nurseries, whose clients include Sony Design Center, Whole Foods Market, Calvin Klein Studio, Tommy Hilfiger, and an astonishing list of celebrities. The 1,500-square-foot greenhouse is home to a wide selection of indoor and outdoor tropical plants of all sizes. They also stock decorative containers in Italian Terra Cotta, Malaysian and Chinese Ceramics, Mexican Red Clay and Rattan baskets. At this time, the store is limiting access to one shopper at a time and are accepting credit card payment only. To place a curbside pickup order or delivery, please call 323-467-8044.
Photo credits:
Photo #1: Huntington Botanical Gardens
Photo #2: Earth Day Network
Photo #3: Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve (Courtesy of California State Parks, 2019)
Photo #4: Theodore Payne Foundation
Photo #5: LA County Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Photo #6: Sunset Nursery
Photo #7: Mickey Hargitay Plants