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Friday is National Public Gardens Day, a great excuse to get out there and enjoy our local green spaces. In Los Angeles we have a wealth of fantastic public gardens that appeal to plant geeks and relaxation seekers alike—including Robert Irwin’s Central Garden at the Getty Center and the herb and peristyle gardens of the Getty Villa. See a list of L.A. public gardens below for other great destinations.

Visit us on Friday to enjoy special menu items, a discount on garden items in the Museum Stores, and free “Getty Gardener’s Perspective” tours, led by our amazingly knowledgeable and personable gardeners. Tours start at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Getty Center and at 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Getty Villa. You can book a ticket to the Villa here.

Visit L.A.’s Public Gardens

Here are few more great destinations for National Public Gardens Day:

Descanso Gardens
150 acres of gardens, woodland, and chaparral.
1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 | Map
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily. Adults $8; students/seniors $6; children (5–12) $3.
www.descansogardens.org

Huntington Botanical Gardens
120 acres with 15,000 species.
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 | Map
noon–4:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday; 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday; closed Tuesday. Adults $15 weekdays, $20 weekends; seniors $12 weekdays, $15 weekends; students $10; children (5–11) $6.
www.huntington.org

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
127 acres with a wide variety of gardens and botanic collections.
301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91007 | Map
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily. Adults $8; students/seniors $6; children (5–12) $3.
www.arboretum.org

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
86 acres boasting 70,000 California native plants.
1500 N. College Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711 | Map
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily. Adults $8; students/seniors $6; children (3–12) $4.
www.rsabg.org

South Coast Botanic Garden
87 acres with over 2,500 species.
26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274 | Map
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily. Adults $8; students/seniors $6; children (5–12) $3.
www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org

Also well worth a visit

Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, www.conejogarden.org
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, www.csulb.edu/~jgarden
Hannah Carter Japanese Garden, www.japanesegarden.ucla.edu
Japanese Garden, www.thejapanesegarden.com
Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden at UCLA, www.botgard.ucla.edu
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, www.sbbg.org
Theodore Payne Foundationwww.theodorepayne.org
Virginia Robinson Gardens, www.robinsongardens.org

Did we miss your favorite garden? Tell us below!