Journeys›Photograph

A Day at the LA County Arboretum

·Los Angeles County Arboretum·#summer#los angeles county arboretum#botanical garden#flower photography
A colorful LA Arboretum sign with a person-as-tree logo, set against a bright blue sky and green trees.

The Arboretum in Arcadia was the whole point of driving down — 127 acres on the old Rancho Santa Anita, open to the public since January 1955, and a long way in every sense from Truckee in July. Started at the Baldwin Avenue entrance, where the sign is a thicket of teal wooden blades, then made for the Queen Anne Cottage, which appears through the trees with its cupola surrounded by fan palms twice its height.

From there the rose garden, where a circle of white benches sits under a pergola buried in pink climbers, and every trunk of palm above it leans a different direction. Then the plumeria collection, which took longer than planned — the same flower in pink, white-and-yellow, and an orange one edged in red, cluster after cluster.

The collections here include rare and endangered species from around the world, and it shows once you leave the flower beds. Past a rock waterfall the ground goes dry and the plants get strange: striped cordylines standing on shaggy trunks, and behind a smooth bottle-trunked tree, a wall of spiny green arms reaching up like something out of Madagascar, which it probably was.

White Victorian house with a decorative cupola, surrounded by green foliage and tall palm trees against a blue sky.A white pergola with climbing pink roses and benches on a brick patio under tall palm trees and a blue sky.A bright pink and creamy yellow rose is prominently featured, surrounded by green and yellow leaves.Close-up of vibrant pink and white roses with green leaves against a blue sky, blurred palm trees, and a white building.Vibrant orange bottlebrush-like flowers and yellow ones are shown among green leaves and elongated lime-green clusters.A cluster of pink and orange flowers with green leaves in the foreground and a blurry green and red background.A cluster of vibrant pink and yellow plumeria flowers blooming, surrounded by green leaves.A cluster of white and yellow plumeria flowers surrounded by green and yellow leaves under bright sunlight.Several peach and pink plumeria flowers in different stages of bloom, surrounded by green leaves.A large white hibiscus flower with a red center and prominent stamen, surrounded by green leaves, with a smaller flower below.A bright yellow hibiscus flower with a red center is in full bloom, surrounded by green leaves.A white water lily with a vibrant yellow center floats among green lily pads on dark water, dappled with shadows.Close-up of vibrant purple flowers, with some fully open and many still in bud form, against a soft green background.A small waterfall cascades over rocks and moss amidst lush green trees and ferns under bright sunlight.Several spiky, variegated plants and trees stand in a sunny garden with dry ground under a clear blue sky.A large tree with bright green leaves stands against a blue sky, surrounded by columnar succulents and shrubs.

More Entries