There’s something refreshingly down-to-earth (no pun intended) about the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. Maybe it stems from the land’s early history as a Tongva settlement named Aleupkigna — the place of many waters — where the Indigenous people lived for some 3,000 years until they were moved into Mission San Gabriel. Or maybe this 127-acre botanic garden gets its proletariat feel from the Mexican land grant that turned the land into Rancho Santa Anita, an agricultural outpost for the mission where cattle, grains, vineyards and fruit trees were nurtured with the waters we now call Baldwin Lake.
Regardless, there’s nothing stuffy about the arboretum, and plenty of beautiful places to wander, such as the aquatic gardens that include the Meyberg Waterfall, the Meadowbrook Garden (filled with deciduous trees whose colorful blooms and leaves change every season against a tapestry of evergreens) and the tropical greenhouse with thousands of orchids.
Of course, there are the standard botanic garden plantings grouped by geography — South American, Mediterranean, South African, Australian and Asiatic-North American. But the arboretum also has extraordinary demonstration gardens such as the Crescent Farm, a onetime compacted lawn transformed into a lush, drought-resistant garden of California native plants and low-water fruits, vegetables, ground covers and shrubs by using lasagna mulching and hugelkultur beds to rebuild the soil.
Peacocks nonchalantly roam throughout — they’re descendants of the three birds imported by Rancho Santa Anita’s last owner, Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin. There are historic buildings as well, such as the relocated Santa Anita Depot and the Queen Anne Cottage built by Baldwin. Little-known fact: This garden is also a great place for botanic research, thanks to its extensive library that you can search online and staff like Frank McDonough, a full-time botanical information consultant whose job is to answer the public’s questions about plants. (Call McDonough at [626] 821-3236.)
The garden offers a range of regular classes such as forest bathing, guided bird walks and goat yoga and provides space for many plant-related conventions and clubs. It also offers $8 tram tours Wednesdays through Sundays and a charming, well-stocked gift shop. It’s truly a garden for the masses, especially if they have a taste for wonder.
Admission: $15, $11 seniors 62+ and students with ID, $5 ages 5-12, members and children 4 and younger enter free. Free days are the third Tuesday of the month for people who are able to reserve a ticket on the first of each month.
Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Members can enter as early as 7:30 a.m.
Food: The Peacock Café is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, and 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Other: No pets permitted except trained service dogs. Most of the arboretum’s wide paths are wheelchair-accessible.
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