What to Know
- Descanso Gardens, LA Arboretum, and South Coast Botanic Garden are open on July 4, 2023
- Arlington Garden in Pasadena is also open and free to visit
- The Huntington is closed on the Fourth of July
Search for "flowers that look like fireworks" and you'll come across a colorful array of big and bold blossoms, the sort of showy specimens with unfurled petals, pistils with panaches, and the kinds of leaves that quickly catch the eye.
This means you can have a garden of fragrant blooms that brilliantly boast a firework-y character, pretty much throughout the year, but if you want to come across several on Tuesday, July 4?
You only need to look in the direction of a large garden, the sort of flower-packed places that provide Southern Californians so much natural joy throughout the calendar, including the Fourth of July.
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Yep, we're talking allium, which is often compared to fireworks due to the orb-like shape that the spray of blue-purple flowers assume once they've hit peak bloom. But so many other garden classics go the dazzling distance this time of year, appearing in all the hues, and then some, seen in a fireworks show.
Note that the regional gardens welcoming visitors on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 will not be open at night, but rather will present their own natural "fireworks" — the flowery variety — under the blue and bright sky. (Well, fingers crossed on the "blue" sky part, since June Gloom seems to linger.)
Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge will be open, giving guests the chance to seek a cool moment beneath all of those towering coastal oaks. The Matilija poppies are still enjoying their magnificent, bee-pleasing runs, and foxgloves are also making a stately showing.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Garden has plenty of shade-sweet spots to sit a spell, and all of that lovely water near the Arcadia property's historical Queen Anne mansion. Nope, it isn't for taking a dip, but lingering near the glimmering pool has a way of adding a chill-down element to a toasty July day.
And South Coast Botanic Garden has several special must-sees, including its celebrated Banyan Garden. Oh yes, and butterflies are aflutter at the Palos Verdes Peninsula destination, as they so often (and joyously) are in July, in the special SOAR area.
Keep in mind that The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is closed on July 4, 2023.
If you're seeking a scenic place for a beautiful stroll not too far from The Huntington's home in San Marino, stop by Arlington Garden in Pasadena. Admission is free, there are scenic spots to unwind, and the uplifting Yoko Ono Wishing Trees remain a cherished favorite of many visitors.
