Day at the Descanso Gardens

I have NEVER heard of the Descanso Gardens, but I am glad that I have now discovered it. It was so beautiful. And it appears that April was the perfect month to see the gardens in it's full glory.

The Descanso was founded by E. Manchester Boddy, who was the owner of the LA Times. It was eventually sold to the County of Los Angeles in 1953. In this garden you will find an oak forest, where Camelias are intertwined. There is a Rosarium where more than 3,000 roses can be found from all over the world. A Japanese garden with a koi pond that was truly awe-inspiring. And the lilac garden, with more than 500 lilacs, left me speechless - they smelled wonderful. And they had the cutest train ride that went through the Descanso and a bird observation area, where you will find a variety of birds, and you may also be greeted by turtles and fish in the lake. This is only a handful of the things you'll find in your exploration.

As I've stated in the past, I love nature. And I am pleased to now have a group who is as excited by nature as I am. As we wandered through the gardens, all you could think of was paradise. It was so beautiful and peaceful that it seemed to change the attitudes of everyone that was there. People greeted us as we walked by; others would get excited by what they found and include us in their discovery. If we didn't immediately become excited too, they would explain to us, in detail, why it was so wonderful. It was a rare, but nice, scene to experience.

We traveled half of the park and then stopped for lunch. There is a cafe at the entrance, which was really cute and on special days, you may even be able to eat at the teahouse. But, we brought a lunch and some blankets and headed to the picnic area. This area is outside the garden, but you would not have guessed it. After eating, we all wanted to just lay under the trees and relax. But, we were so excited to see what else the garden offered that we carried on. A lot of love was put into this garden attraction; there was no doubt about that. It was truly a perfect day.

Why not take a trip to the Descanso Gardens in La Canada, this Spring? You will feel like you're on vacation without having to travel.