One of the more intriguing ways to experience the world outside of Southern California without actually leaving it is by visiting its many gardens. But all too often, the big botanic gardens with their marquee-value names get all the glory - which means when you visit, you've got to fight the crowds there. And sure, visit Descanso during the camellia bloom. Attend the open-air concerts at the Arboretum. Take a sniff of the corpse flower at The Huntington.
But you've got lots more options - some with less acreage, but just as much history.
Here are six great gardens, each with their own special take on horticulture and landscaping.
Gardens of the World, Thousand Oaks
While some gardens are devoted to one culture, others take you on a transatlantic journey. At Gardens of the World, you can visit France, England, Italy, and Japan without walking very far - past a cascading waterfall, ornamental flower beds, a rose garden, artichoke plants, a tea house, cypress trees, and a chain fountain. But as a reminder that you are still in California, you'll end your whirlwind tour in the Mission Courtyard for a quick trip back in time to our golden state's early days. Gardens of the World is free and open all year except on days with inclement weather - and you don't have to worry about running into a wedding or other private party, because they're generally not allowed. The gardens do make a lovely backdrop for photos, but special permission is needed for engagement photos, wedding photography, and the like.
Gardens of the World | Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein
Gardens of the World Fountains | Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein
Virginia Robinson Gardens, Beverly Hills
Like The Huntington, you get a two-fer when you visit Robinson Gardens: a landmarked garden paradise and a grandiose estate (one of the first Beverly Hills mansions) sprawling across six acres behind The Beverly Hills Hotel. You can forget about encountering native species here, because every corner of the garden is about making a statement, from the rose garden to the Italian Terrace Garden and the Australian King Palm Forest. And to what do we owe this opulence? Why, it's the fortune of the Robinson family - of Robinsons Department Store, the last vestige of which has been swept away from behind the Beverly Hilton, between Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards. The garden is open to the public once a year for its annual garden tour / luncheon / fashion show / awards ceremony, which acts as a benefit for the volunteer-run facility. But you can visit for a docent-led tour pretty much any time of year by appointment at least two weeks in advance. Better to plan even farther ahead if you can, since it takes them a while to return calls and emails.
Virginia Robinson Gardens, Photo: Karol Franks/Flickr/Creative Commons License
Arlington Garden, Pasadena
Arlington Garden is a small, almost pocket park tucked away on a residential street in Pasadena just off Millionaire's Row. There are Mediterranean and Californian trees and succulents planted throughout its three acres, where the historic Durand House once stood. It was a kind of French chateau by way of the San Gabriel Valley, with a tropical paradise out front, but once its contents were sold at public auction after John Durand's death in 1961, the house was razed. Ultimately, CalTrans ended up using the vacant lot as a staging area for its construction projects nearby, until 2005 when a committee of historians, preservationists, and naturalists took on the task of recreating the gardens - and even uncovered some of the original red sandstone from the exterior of the mansion. Now, the garden is decidedly public, open every day, and free to visit - as well as the only public park of its kind in Pasadena.
Arlington Garden | Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein
The Japanese Garden, Van Nuys
This garden of water and fragrance has all the elements of a traditional Japanese garden: water, rocks, and plants that have been preened and pruned to perfection. There are also a variety of carved granite lanterns and, of course, the best view of the Tillman Plants Administration Building, which Trekkies know as Starfleet Academy and make pilgrimages to see. But what's probably most interesting about this garden is where it gets its water from: from a three-tiered waterfall fed by the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant next door. If theres any question as to the safety of the treated toilet water coming out of the plant, just look at the thriving flowers, the flocking birds (like great blue herons, pelicans and cormorants), and the fish (including koi) swimming around in the water, eventually being eaten by the birds. Despite its next-door neighbor, the garden evokes the serenity of traditional Japanese strolling gardens and the traditions of generations of Zen Buddhists with a tea house, very few straight lines, and cherry blossoms. Stroll across the zig-zag bridge to rid yourself of any evil spirits that might be tagging along. And if you love this one, make the pilgrimage out to Pasadena for the newly-reopened Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, which is currently under renovation and open for limited public tours.
The Japanese Garden | Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein
Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden | Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein
Amir's Garden, Griffith Park
Amir's Garden is one of Griffith Park's lesser-known wonders, located high above the Griffith Park Boys Camp near Mineral Wells. This volunteer-run ornamental garden is a shady oasis from the sun-soaked pathways of the city's largest urban park, where hikers, equestrians, and horses alike come for a free rest stop. Here, you can find leafy trees, flowering plants, jade and other succulents, and various other ornamental plantings - all regularly watered, pruned, and generally cared-for. There's a labyrinth of paths
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
28/10/2025
ESPN Announces Monsters Funday Football', Its Latest Real-Time Animated Bro...
28/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Catherine Chalfant, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe Ole Miss alum is an operational force behind ESPN's extensive college-football catalo...
28/10/2025
Elevating the experience: AI and data take Ryder Cup to the next level By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - 10:25
Print This Story
NBC produced th...
28/10/2025
Conquering the Air (waves): Taking a close up look at the IBC Accelerator Priva...
28/10/2025
World Series 2025: Spectrum SportsNet LA Brings Dodgers Fans Closer to the Actio...
28/10/2025
Dylan Southern and Benedict Cumberbatch at the premiere of The Thing with Feathers (photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
28/10/2025
For three weeks in Lagos, Spotify's Greasy Tunes Caf pop-up brought the cit...
28/10/2025
Once a niche subculture, German rap has evolved into an influential cultural movement. Now, Spotify is giving the genre a new home with OFFCULT, a playlist dedi...
28/10/2025
Shane Delia's Malta serves up the Mediterranean this summer
28 October, 2025
Media releases
Feast on 9,000 years of culinary history Mondays from 24 No...
28/10/2025
SBS's global sporting festival continues with the FIVB Beach Volleyball Worl...
28/10/2025
Bilbao, October 28, 2025 - AgileTV, a leading technology solutions company for t...
28/10/2025
Disney, NBCUniversal, FOX, Paramount Each Achieve Double-Digit Monthly Growth
...
28/10/2025
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has announced an agreement to sell WRTV, its local ABC-affiliated station in Indianapolis, to Circle City Broadcasting for $...
28/10/2025
Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia Named to Billboards 2025 Top Music...
28/10/2025
NEW YORK As AI usage continues to spike, a new study from IAB delves into an important aspect of how AI is transforming the advertising business with new data s...
28/10/2025
Charlie Jablonski, a broadcast tech pioneer who helped shape the modern era of Olympics television coverage, died Oct. 25 at his home in Lake George N.Y., the N...
28/10/2025
VIENNA, Austria Bitmovin has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insights into video playback. The so...
28/10/2025
LOS ANGELES LucidLink, the file streaming platform, has announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities at Adobe Max....
28/10/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced that it has joined the Ama...
28/10/2025
Lightware, an industry leader in connectivity and signal management solutions, has announced a major update to its Taurus
platform, which now delivers flawless...
28/10/2025
Following a successful mid-September International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, Hiltron Communications will promote its full range of satellite communi...
28/10/2025
Open Broadcast Systems has chosen MC&S (Media Consulting & Services) as a reseller to help strengthen its presence in France.
With over twenty years of experi...
28/10/2025
Bitmovin, leading provider of video streaming solutions, has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insi...
28/10/2025
Ease Live, the leader in interactive TV technology, today announced the successful launch of interactive graphical overlays for UEFA Champions League matches fo...
28/10/2025
LucidLink, the file streaming platform, today at Adobe MAX announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities, streamlining collaboration and hel...
28/10/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has promoted Nick Hasenecz to general manager of WNDU, its NBC affiliate in the South Bend-Elkhart, Ind., market....
28/10/2025
Applications Open for Berklee Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant Boston nonprofits can apply by December 12 for funding to support community projects that ...
28/10/2025
28 Oct 2025
VEON's JazzCash Wins Silver Award for Innovation in Lending at ...
28/10/2025
Guests include Wayne Rooney, Maya Jama, Dame Laura Kenny, Chloe Kelly, Chris McC...
28/10/2025
The two-hour special, recorded live from the iconic Dolby Theatre in LA, will ai...
28/10/2025
Eutelsat upgrades teleports with Rohde & Schwarz satellite uplink amplifiers High efficiency and resilient Ku-band amplifiers for excellent RF performance
...
28/10/2025
These appointments come at a pivotal time for ABC, as the organisation continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of a digital-first media ecosystem. The ne...
28/10/2025
Scripps Research awarded $4 million to advance platform for neurodevelopmental disorders The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant support...
27/10/2025
You can touch this: Haptics becoming central to the virtual live experience By Adrian Pennington
Friday, October 24, 2025 - 09:12
Print This Story
The vid...
27/10/2025
A tale of two trailers: France's Stop & Go doubles up with its new hybrid tr...
27/10/2025
Pro Padel League Stages City's Cup Finals Inside NYC's Hammerstein Ballr...
27/10/2025
World Series 2025: Sportsnet Delivers Made-in-Canada' Moment for a Nation U...
27/10/2025
ESPN Extends Partnership With Sony's Beyond Sports To Expand Animated Altern...
27/10/2025
Reid Davenport attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Life After at The Ray Theatre on January 27, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Robin Marsha...
27/10/2025
As the days grow shorter and the nights get darker, there's nothing like getting swept up in a story that sends shivers down your spine. In honor of spooky ...
27/10/2025
UPDATE: Both parties have reached a new carriage agreement....
27/10/2025
LONDON As Hollywood jumps into the production of mini-dramas, a new study from Ampere Analysis finds that more than one in 10 internet users have watched drama ...
27/10/2025
LONDON Yealink, a provider of unified communication and collaboration solutions, has joined the NDI ecosystem with the availability of its SmartVision 80 premiu...
27/10/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Chris Conroy as general manager of its stations in Cleveland, leading WOIO, a CBS affiliate, The CW station WUAB and Telemundo outl...
27/10/2025
ESPOO, Finland European connectivity leaders Nokia and Ericsson, have partnered with Berlin's Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), to shape and drive ...
27/10/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast has expanded NOW TV Latino, its Spanish-language live TV and streaming offering, adding five more channels from Univision, ViX Premium with...
27/10/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, will present its latest products and solutions at InterBEE 2025 (Hall 5, Booth 5218) Makuhari Messe in Chiba, ...
27/10/2025
Back to All News
City of Shadows, the New Netflix Thriller Arrives on December 12
Entertainment
27 October 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Downl...
One of the more intriguing ways to experience the world outside of Southern California without actually leaving it is by visiting its many gardens. But all too often, the big botanic gardens with their marquee-value names get all the glory - which means when you visit, you've got to fight the crowds there. And sure, visit Descanso during the camellia bloom. Attend the open-air concerts at the Arboretum. Take a sniff of the corpse flower at The Huntington.
