The best botanical gardens and hidden oases in Los Angeles

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the J. Paul Getty Trust’s astronomical endowment is the famed hilltop art museum’s grounds. Once you’ve taken the electric tram ride up the hill, one thing becomes apparent: it’s a big place. Zigzagging paths cut across a manicured creek and down to artist Robert Irwin’s Central Garden, with a pond and hedge maze as its focus. You’ll find bits of greenery elsewhere among the limestone edifices, but I always make sure to visit the perch above the cactus garden, set against the Century City skyline and Pacific Ocean.

The host of two Olympics (with a third on the way), Exposition Park stands as one of L.A.’s most significant institutions. Home to the Natural History Museum, California Science Center and California African American Museum, you’ll find green spaces scattered around the USC-adjacent property. But the most charming section resides in the fragrant Rose Garden, where you can rest in one of the gazebos or take a stroll around the central fountain, all the while admiring its beautiful brick neighbors. Just a heads up: The rose garden is usually closed for seasonal maintenance from January until mid-March.

Reservations required. Tour calendar posted monthly.

Department store magnates Virginia and Harry Robinson built this Beverly Hills estate in 1911, and upon their passing it entered into the county’s hands as a public park. Because of the six-and-a-half-acre estate’s quiet residential location, it’s only accessible via docent-led tours, which you’ll need to arrange two weeks in advance over the phone or via email. Once inside, you’ll find finely manicured gardens and a just as impeccably assembled mansion. In keeping with its storied history of lavish Hollywood parties, the estate hosts a swanky garden party at the beginning of each summer.

This 55-room Tudor estate is a good way to get a glimpse into the lives of L.A.’s historical 1%. Though the interior is only open for events and tours, the exterior gardens are open daily, free of charge. Take a stroll through alleys of poplars and cypress trees, a fountain and reflecting pool, and a terraced pool area.

Closed until further notice due to the Palisades Fire—but still standing.

This Pacific Palisades villa—the original site of J. Paul Getty’s collection—houses thousands of Greek and Roman artifacts, but you could easily be satisfied just wandering through its gardens. Built to mimic a Roman country house, the villa’s central pool is flanked by flower beds and bronze busts, and its southernmost point offers the tiniest glimpse of the ocean. Make sure to explore both sides to find an edible garden and a fountain set against a vibrant mosaic.

In 1971, hiker Amir Dialameh singlehandedly nurtured a scorched hillside in Griffith Park into a shaded retreat. More than a half-century later, this five-acre, volunteer-run garden remains a favorite rest stop for hikers and equestrians alike. Getting here is the difficult part: It’s about a half-mile walk uphill from the trailhead at Mineral Wells Road and Griffith Park Drive, and the actual garden area is considerably smaller than the other picks on this list. But I think the payoff is pretty sweet once you’ve found a seat on the hilltop picnic benches, among a patchwork of flower beds.

It’s impossible to cruise along Grand Avenue and miss the Walt Disney Concert Hall, a twisted metallic explosion of Frank Gehry’s imagination. But you could very easily miss the lush garden hiding in the shadows of the acoustically impressive hall. A perfect spot to take a bagged lunch or get some fresh air during jury duty, the landscaped areas has two entrances: the easiest-to-find one is on Grand Avenue near 2nd Street (look for the stairs, or use the elevator in the building to the left) as well as on 1st Street near the corner of Hope Street.

Pasadena certainly doesn’t come up short when it comes to green space. But among all those parks and plazas, Arlington Garden is the only completely public garden in the city. Walk among sycamores and succulents in this Italian-inspired sanctuary and navigate a seven circuit labyrinth.

Events, weddings and banquets are often held at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, but the former site of the Lawry’s California Center is an ideal spot for an afternoon stroll as well. You might feel slightly out of place as you spot event planners scoping out the property, but don’t worry: I’ve spent plenty of time exploring the grounds without being hassled. MAke a quick stop by the visitor center, which serves as an exhibit hall celebrating the L.A. River, or walk through the adjacent and small River Garden Park at the corner of San Fernando Road and Avenue 26, where you might see families picnicking or joggers taking a water break.

Tucked between the Hollywood Reservoir and the Hollywood Sign, this mosaic-filled grove of folk art is decidedly not public: The locked gate and general lack of information clearly state that this garden is meant to be hush-hush. But as a Designated Historic-Cultural Monument (#996), its existence isn’t exactly secret; the hours aren’t consistent, but you can sometimes visit it on Thursdays from 10am to noon (as long as you don’t take photos inside). At any other time, we just request that you glance into this peaceful terrace of tilework and potted succulents from a respectful distance.

Closed until further notice due to the Palisades Fire—but mostly in tact.

Just inland from the Pacific Coast Highway and easy to miss when you’re rushing to catch the sunset, the mystical, mysterious Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is run by a non-denominational order that welcomes visitors but doesn’t proselytise to them. Set on a 10-acre site that was used as a film set during the silent era, the lovely gardens evoke old Hollywood: look out for the Dutch windmill chapel, the Mississippi houseboat and a number of gliding swans. The East, meanwhile, is represented by a gilded lotus gate enclosing a shrine that contains some of Gandhi’s ashes.

Meditation gardens open Wednesday through Sunday with free reservations. Time slots open Saturdays at 10am for the week ahead.