The hook
Under a canopy of native oaks in La Cañada grows one of the largest camellia forests in the hemisphere, and the reason it's so large is not a happy one.
01Why it's worth it
Descanso is a hundred and fifty acres of oak woodland, lilac, roses, and above all camellias, tens of thousands of them blooming in the shade of the old oaks from late fall through spring. The camellia forest exists because of a wrong. In 1942, when Japanese Americans were forced from their homes into internment camps, the newspaper owner who held this land bought up around a hundred thousand camellia plants from two Japanese-run nurseries whose families had just lost everything. Those plants became this forest. The garden today doesn't hide that history; it's a beautiful place with a hard root, and knowing where it came from is part of walking through it. Come for the camellias under the oaks, the cherry blossoms in spring, and the quiet, and carry the rest with you.
02How to experience it
It's in La Cañada Flintridge, about six hours from the Bay and twenty minutes from downtown Los Angeles. There's an admission fee. Camellia season runs roughly November through March and the cherry blossoms come in early spring, but any season the oak woodland stays cool and green. Give it a calm couple of hours.