We took a trip up to Descanso Gardens in February of this year. Why a botanical garden? Well in their own words, this is what Descanso Gardens has to offer:

“Descanso Gardens is an urban retreat of year-round natural beauty, internationally renowned botanical collections and spectacular seasonal horticultural displays. In 1953, Descanso founder E. Manchester Boddy preserved these 150 acres of gardens, woodlands and chaparral for future generations to experience the natural heritage and beauty of Southern California.”

If you’re not pumped about 150 acres of gardens, woodlands, and chaparral, your childhood is missing a little piece of magic by one Mr. Chris Van Allsburg:

The gardens themselves are just out of Los Angeles proper, and are a good place to spend a relaxing afternoon walking around, feeding koi, maybe dozing, or just getting your look-at-a-plant on.

Wander around for a bit, and you’ll find yourself pleasantly lost. Each path has its own charms worth exploring, and the closer you look, the more paths there seem to be. Also, there are ducks.

Flavien took photos of the trip, so now you too can get your looking-at-plants on, internet style: