Wandering through gardens in winter is probably not the first thing you think of when considering your weekend options. Fortunately, our winters here in SoCal come with sunshine and warmish temps on most days. Here you’ll find a tour (via pictures) of my favorite gardens at the world-famous Huntington Library in this “offseason.”
The Desert Garden
I mean, who doesn’t love a cactus garden? And it will most definitely be thriving any time of year. Being that I love all things associated with the desert (read more about that here), the Huntington Library’s Desert Garden is my favorite place to take a stroll. The variety of cacti here is eye-opening at every turn! The round ones make me so happy; I just want to hug them!
The Japanese Garden
I was married in a Japanese garden, and followers know that I have a thing for Japanese culture in general, so it should be no surprise that this is one of my favorite gardens on the property. Although stunning in the springtime, the Japanese garden is lovely year round and has lots of little secret spaces to enjoy when you’re in an outdoorsy mood.
The Shakespeare Garden
The Shakespeare garden is a wide-open space that appropriately reminds me of the vast parks in London or Vienna. Sculptures from Sir William’s plays line a grass valley, backed up by towering palm trees. At the far end, a grand fountain has the starring role with the San Gabriel Foothills making quite the appearance in the background. Find the bust of Shakespeare in a nook from where he can view this spectacular sight.
The Huntington has so much more to offer with galleries of art, a tea house overlooking the rose garden, and more gardens to explore. This was a great way to spend a winter day with the kiddos, but I admit, I can’t wait to come back in the spring!
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