Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Descanso Gardens

Long day?
Long week?
Long walk is what I recommend.

We hadn't been to Descanso Gardens in a while and it was high time we went back.

Go. And when you do, get off the main drag as soon as you can. The side pathways feel a bit secretive but you're welcome to take them. Surprises await when you get off the beaten track.

16 comments:

Leeds daily photo said...

I am always surprised at the number of people who do not stray off the beaten track also there are quite a few people who think that you cannot travel more than a few hundred yards without using a car. I prefer the path less traveled.

Chrissy Brand said...

I always enjoy my weekend walks and this is somewhere I would happily wander - lovely photo.

John Sandel said...

You're the one I want to get lost with.

Shell Sherree said...

Now, what could I possibly follow a beautiful comment like that with?!

As it turned out, I went for a walk today, though not off the beaten track. There was a moment where it vaguely resembled this lovely photo of yours, Petrea, as I walked through dappled light up a path below some trees.

Kalei's Best Friend said...

That was one of my husband's favorite spots.. He would make the girls stand on the bridge of the tea house and take a photo of them every year... Yep we have a slew of them,..,btw, did you notice the big white building that houses their equipment ( for landscaping)? that is really off the beaten path... My friend applied for a job there, unfortunately didn't get it... She told me Descanso will landscape an area and once they decide to change it, they dump the plants... guess they don't want to bother reusing them....

Petrea Burchard said...

Paul, I suppose that's all the better for those of us who like less traffic.

Chrissy, you can see a bit of asphalt at the top of the stairs. More people walk there, but it's easy to escape onto the quieter, woodland pathways.

Sweetie, likewise.

We have a lovely planet, don't we, Shell? I remember being surprised as a child when I saw photos of a foreign country and it didn't look so different from Illinois. I expected it to be stranger--pink sky, maybe, or purple plants, and oceans of red bubbles.

KBF, I guess we didn't find the tea house or the storage shed. I wonder if what your friend says is hearsay--Descanso went to a lot of trouble a year or two ago to save some trees that could have easily been discarded. I would hope they'd just give the smaller plants to me because I need help for the back yard.

TheChieftess said...

It's probably too late...but some of my favorites are the iris ... I love Descanso!!! The camelia garden is another favorite...and of course...THE ROSES!!!

Bellis said...

The rose garden is historic, educational (if you want to learn more about roses), and beautiful. I love the wildlife, especially the ducks that have made best friends with a white goose, who protects them. The two Canadian geese produced 6 goslings but now only two are left, and the parents are very protective of them. Rightly so, as I saw a coyote there at 10 am the other day. Did I mention the bunnies? Lots in the Rose garden. The great thing about Descano is that it opens at 9 am, and is quieter than the Huntington Library. Oh, and to top it all, it has a wonderful gift shop.

Kalei's Best Friend said...

She was told that the tulips they planted were going to be all pulled.. she was applying for a landscaping job there... btw, they do sell tea at the teahouse.

Laura M said...

Fibonacci circle!

Petrea Burchard said...

Laura: Yes! Never would have found that had we stayed on the tarmac.

Katie said...

Such a gorgeous photo. I'll definitely check out the Descanso link (and not the link in the comment above) to learn more. I did have a long day and took a walk after work straight from the train to Trader Joe's where I got a bottle of wine, peanuts and some cookie butter. It wasn't quite the scenic walk you and John went on, but it worked for me!

Petrea Burchard said...

I just marked it as spam, Katie, so it's gone. Shoot. I may have to re-institute the word verification.

Enjoy your wine and peanuts!

Margaret said...

Oh, I haven't been there in so long. Now I want to go.

Linda said...

Oooh, I've been to these gardens! I'd forgotten about them, and seeing your photo and feeling the dry heat from it across thousands of miles the memories came hurtling back.

Petrea Burchard said...

How interesting, Linda! I can imagine that the dry heat would be a powerful memory for you. It was the first thing I noticed when I moved here from the Midwest.