Spring at Descanso Gardens 2019

I recently posted a story about the Camellia Show at Descanso Gardens. The show was a side trip; my real reason for visiting the gardens was to see the spring flowers.  I was a bit early but still found a few lovely blossoms.

The elusive tulip

By March the tulips should be coming into bloom.  As it was, I found one in late February!

On previous years, I almost missed the tulips because I left things too late.  This time I managed to see one.  It isn’t easy to get the timing right.  I was, however, on time for the daffodils.  I found clusters of them along the path and near the creek.

Most of the garden looked a bit bare and wintery. The trees had no leaves; the roses hadn’t yet started growing again.  All looked somber, except for this one stray rose.

I left the flowers beds and headed toward the oak forest.

Camellias

As I continued east, I forgot about the oaks because I was distracted by the camellias.  I read somewhere that Descanso Gardens has the largest collection of camellias in North America.  And they are blooming!

I don’t know much about camellias, but I do know I like the soft pink color in the above image.

As I wandered the twists and turns of the camellia grove, I discovered flowers everywhere. I found the best ones tucked inside the bush, away from the path. If I was lucky, the sunlight hit the flower just right.

Not all the flowers were on the branches.  Some were past their prime, and I found them on the ground.  I thought they were pretty, too.

As you can tell, I had great fun with these flowers.  I hope some of them are still in bloom.

Tips

• Descanso Gardens has a great website.  Use it to find out what is blooming when you plan your visit.
• There are many areas in the gardens, and you can easily spend the day there.
• Food is available at the cafe near the entrance.
• The gardens are family-friendly, although little ones may get bored if you spend too much time looking at one flower.
• It is a great place for photographers.

To see more images from my garden adventure, please click here.