Descanso Gardens in La Canada, California is not far from the Huntington Gardens and among our favorites in California, in part because of its smaller size.  You can spend an hour or two and see most of the gardens.

Originally an estate, Descanso Gardens is famed for its large  collection of camellias and roses.  The camellias flower from December through April.  Then, as the camellias fade, the roses in a sunny part of the gardens burst into bloom.  It is heavenly to breathe in the fragrance of the roses like those that surround the Mission Garden section of the rose garden, above.

At one end of the rose garden is a charming boxwood maze just the right size for children and at the other end, a bird and turtle watching station.

The Descanso Gardens rose collection includes hundreds of specimens from around the world, including England, France, Japan, Ireland, and China.

To see a photo preview of Descanso Gardens including the tulip and daffodil displays in Spring 2011, go here.

Some sections of Descanso Gardens' 80 acres are devoted to drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants and native plants of California.  Many plants from both these regions thrive in hot, dry climate conditions.  

Trails, some paved, some not, wind through the oak woodlands where the camellia collection grows and blooms.  On a hot, sunny day to walk along the paths in the shade of old oak trees is incredibly refreshing.  

At the far end of the gardens, you will discover the Boddy House where the original owners lived.  Paintings and ceramics by local artists are exhibited and for sale at an art gallery next to the Boddy House.

You will find a Japanese garden complete with a tea house at the Descanso Gardens.  And, not far away, a redwood grove and a small lilac garden. The lilacs are varieties suitable for the hot summers and mild winters of Southern California.

After you have explored the gardens, you can enjoy refreshment under an  arbor near the entrance.  On weekends in the summer there is live entertainment and, quite often, special gardening events.   There is a small fee for entry to the gardens.

Take these Hot Gardens online preview tours, too:    

Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden  - near Pasadena

Huntington Gardens Desert Garden - near Pasadena

Descanso Gardens - near Pasadena

Arlington Garden - in Pasadena

Getty Villa Gardens - Malibu

South Coast Botanic Garden - southwest Los Angeles

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden - Claremont, California

Santa Barbara Gardens - Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden  - Santa Barbara, California

Tucson Public Gardens  - Tucson, Arizona

Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden  - Phoenix, Arizona

Balboa Park Gardens, San Diego, California

Tropical Garden in the Dominican Republic

Shore Acres Gardens - Coos Bay Oregon

San Luis Obispo Creek Park - San Luis Obispo, California

Japanese Garden - Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California

Japanese Garden - Long Beach, California