Plant nerd alert
Our horticulture team at Descanso loves plants and they also love to share their knowledge. When you visit, you can see the care and pride we take in our collections, but what goes on behind the scenes is equally important. As we look towards the challenges ahead with changing weather patterns, water issues, and climate change, the Descanso team is looking for creative answers. Read about their work.
Changing Descanso
The gardens lost many trees in the winter storms — what does that mean for our future?
Growing the future
Director of Horticulture David Bare on the importance of the new nursery
What’s in a name?
Plant names can tell you a lot about them, Garden Records and Collection Manager Autumn Ayers explains
Staff Pick
Critter sightings
Arrive early when there are very few members walking around and listen to the sound of the birds and the childlike activity of the squirrels, bunnies, and other animals. It’s especially enjoyable in June and July with all the baby animals.
LAUREN, DATA SPECIALIST
Water-wise entry
How does Descanso create a water-wise garden? Director of Horticulture David Bare shares the secrets of planting a California native garden
The Descanso Lilacs
Frank Obregon, Horticulturist, explains why what’s old is new again in the lilac garden
What are cycads anyway?
What dates back to the Mesozoic Era and lives at Descanso? The cycads in the Ancient Forest
Rewriting our history
We take for granted that the stories we have been told many times are the whole truth but as Descanso recently found out, we had the story of our camellias wrong
The power of pollination
Descanso horticulture staff Autumn Ayers and Diana Nightingale explain plants, pollinators, and prehistoric partnerships