Bloom Wanderings: A Flower-Filled Weekend in Los Angeles
FIELD NOTES
From botanical gardens to jacaranda-covered boulevards, a three-day springtime travel guide to L.A’s botanical spaces, flower-forward cafés, and blooming corners.
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Getting out into the sprawling hills of L.A. to wander among flowers doesn’t require perfect timing or a headline-making superbloom. All it takes is a few open days, a loose plan, and a willingness to follow what’s growing.
From rose gardens and fern-filled trails to neighborhood nurseries and corner cafes, there’s always something in bloom in Southern California.
Whether you’re slipping away solo for a calming reset or piling into a car with friends for a lively road trip, a flower-forward weekend offers an easy kind of joy—unrushed, restorative, and rooted in noticing beauty exactly where you are.
Los Angeles shows its truest colors through flowers. In the springtime, blooms emerge across the city in layers—jacaranda trees casting lavender shadows over sidewalks and plazas, a rainbow of roses unfurling by the hundreds in historic gardens, native flowers dotting hillsides, and leafy courtyards offering quiet corners of green.
These spaces aren’t hidden so much as they are gently tucked into everyday life, waiting for you to slow down enough to notice.
This weekend itinerary follows those moments of beauty and abundance. It moves through grand gardens, trails lined with ferns and redwoods, neighborhoods packed with plant shops and bookstores, and streets where floral murals bloom permanently on brick and stucco.
Tip: if you’re not already local or road-tripping there, renting a car is recommended. Many of LA’s most beautiful gardens, murals, and plant-forward stops are spread across neighborhoods, and having the freedom to move at your own pace makes all the difference.
Where to Stay: A Colorful Retreat with Classic Hollywood Roots
Palihotel Culver City feels perfectly in step with a bloom-focused stay. The building is steeped in cinematic history: operating as a boardinghouse for MGM Studios during Hollywood’s Golden Age, it once attracted silver-screen legends like Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, and Joan Crawford.
Mirrored Forest, the exterior floral mural by artist Dana Carly, immediately sets the tone for a renovated 1920s-era boutique hotel that features an Art Deco–influenced façade.
Covered in bright petals and leafy tendrils on a teal background, the artwork spans the entire length of the building and brings a burst of color to the entire block.
In the vibrant lobby and within Simonette, its all-day courtyard restaurant that’s filled with towering trees, intimate alcoves create an atmosphere that’s relaxed and welcoming.
The staff are warm and attentive in a way that makes the hotel feel personal, but not precious. Don’t miss the fabulous French-inspired menu and the incredible Honey-Butter Latte.
Step outside and you’ll find a few jacaranda trees blooming throughout the nearby plazas and streets of Culver City, their soft purple petals turning even short walks into moments worth lingering over. It’s a place that makes returning at the end of the day feel grounded and comforting.
Day One: Grand Gardens, Coffee, and Color
Head east and start your day with a quick stop at The Golden Poppy Market, a beautiful neighborhood market with plenty of snacks to stock up on before you start your multi-stop sojourn. Opened in 2022 by Michelle Juliette Carr, it’s a suprette-style store in the tiny, bustling community.
The walls are decked out with a vibrant William Morris poppy pattern, creating an immediate vibe, and the colorful back patio offers a welcoming place to sit and chat for a few minutes.
Next, make your way to La Cañada Flintridge to start your full botanical weekend immersion at the sprawling Descanso Gardens.
Spring brings color in every direction—roses, flowering trees, shaded woodland paths, and specialized plant collections that invite you to wander without an agenda. The experience is expansive yet calm, offering 150 acres of ample space to move slowly, appreciate the season, and take it all in.
“Flowers” at Descanso Gardens by Kevin Gill, CC by 2.0
After your visit, stop by Lost Books and Plants, where shelves of books mingle with living greenery. Browse and get lost in this magical store, which is perfectly described in its own words:
“A lush escape of plants, stories, and the surreal—Lost Books is our store for dreamers. Birds sing, tropical fish drift, and books and vinyl are tucked into the maze between. It’s a sunlit outpost for the nostalgic, the curious, and the quietly weird. Every shelf is alive. Moss grows on the ceiling. And yet somehow, it all makes sense.”
From there, head east toward The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena. Make sure to buy tickets well in advance, as reservations are required on weekends and during peak blooming season–and they can be snapped up quickly. Be prepared to spend several leisurely hours wandering the grounds, as there are nearly 130 acres open to the public.
This Huntington is where scale meets detail: amble through the thousands of incredible roses that Pasadena is known for.
In the Japanese gardens, follow the paths to lotus flowers in the ponds, keeping an eye out for the inlaid flower pattern in the stone patio.
Foxgloves, poppies, camellias, snapdragons, and hundreds of other blooms line the winding paths of the Huntington’s expanse. Unhurried exploration is the best way to take them all in, savoring the textures and hues of the different micro-gardens within.
Heading back westward, stop by Creature’s Plants & Coffee in Eagle Rock for a HoneyBlossom cappuccino or a Wildflower latte, which is made with a sweet syrup that includes chamomile and elderflower.
Pick up a few seed packets, unique pottery, and rare philodendrons–and if you’re lucky, perhaps wander into one of the community clothing swaps they regularly host in their outdoor area.
Just a mile down the road, Flowers Finest is another fun shop to pop into. Opened by the fabulous ladies who started Flowerhead Tea, the brightly colored vibe is the perfect setting for a warm cup or browsing their signature teas, kitchenwares, and ephemera.
Heading southwest back to the hotel, stop by Flouring Cake Shop to pick up a to-go flower-adorned pastry or slice of cake.
Featuring edible pressed flowers atop delicious creations, the recipes are also infused with aromatic botanical flavors.
We chose a slice each of the Passion Fruit cake and the viola-topped strawberry cake bars–the perfect snack to have back at the hotel while you decompress for a bit before venturing back out for dinner.
Festooned with (artificial) flowers in every corner, Arden is a glam spot for bites and cocktails. Trailing florals drip down in every color, and the over-the-top decor pairs perfectly with a menu of botanical-infused drinks.
Day Two: Ferns, Los Feliz, and Living Neighborhoods
Begin the morning in legendary Griffith Park at the Ferndell Trail. This shaded path winds alongside a flowing creek and unfurling ferns, with redwood trees rising unexpectedly above the trail. In spring, the entire canyon feels newly alive—cool, green, and quietly immersive.
Finish your walk at the rustic Trails Café, just uphill, where outdoor seating, coffee, and light bites feel like a natural extension of the trail itself.
In the afternoon, spend a while exploring Los Feliz, a neighborhood where plants and culture coexist easily.
Stop by Sunset Nursery to wander among blooms and foliage, then head to Skylight Books, where a living tree grows straight through the center of the shop—a reminder that growth happens everywhere.
And just a few storefronts away, vintage shops like Squaresville are perfect for hunting for unique floral patterned finds.
From there, wind up the nearby hill to marvel at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an example of Mayan Revival architecture built from 1919 to 1921.
Commissioned by heiress Louise Aline Barnsdall, the house wraps around a central courtyard and features a motif of repeating hollyhocks, Barnsdall’s favorite flower.
Following a major restoration, the house re-opened to the public in 2015, and plantings of colorful hollyhocks now adorn the perimeter.
Today, Hollyhock House also serves as a cultural space, hosting rotating exhibitions, public programs, and site-specific installations that explore architecture, art, and design. These exhibitions often engage directly with the house’s history and geometry, offering a deeper look at Wright’s vision in a contemporary context.
The surrounding space of Barnsdall Art Park offers a gorgeous hilltop area that’s made for park hangs with friends, food, music, and more.
Wind back down the hill and back into the neighborhood for an early-evening dinner.
Grab a bite at All Time on Hillhurst, an ideal spot to experience the community feel of Los Feliz (and—dare we say—our all-time favorite restaurant in all of Los Angeles—pun intended!).
Its intimate back patio is filled with plants and dappled light, and the atmosphere is relaxed and upbeat, making it a place that encourages lingering rather than rushing.
Complete with hand-drawn menus and a relaxed, friendly staff, it’s the perfect sort of place that feels both welcoming and hip, all at the same time.
Ordering right at dusk feels just perfect, as tucked-in spotlights flicker on to illuminate the twisted greenery of the back patio.
Keep the rest of the evening local and unstructured. Los Feliz is best enjoyed slowly, with time to walk, sit, and notice what’s flowering nearby.
Day Three: Mildred, Melrose, & Murals
On your final day, head west to the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden on UCLA’s campus. Dense, winding, and quietly rich, the garden offers moments of surprise around every corner—shaded paths, layered plantings, and small pockets of calm that reward close attention.
Raffi Kojian, CC by-SA 3.0
From there, move toward Beverly Hills for a midday pause at The Fountain Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where palms and garden views make even a coffee feel ceremonial.
Tony Hoffarth, CC BY 4.0
With walls covered in the iconic Martinque wallpaper, this 1950-style counter features a classic diner menu capped off with desserts like banana splits and root beer floats.
In the late afternoon, make your way to Melrose Avenue to experience some of the best floral murals in Los Angeles while doing a bit more vintage shopping.
Created by artist David Flores, the saturated botanical mural outside Ronan at 7315 Melrose Ave is a graphic blooming moment in the middle of the street.
Continue toward the mural near French Florist before heading back to the hotel. Whether you pop in for a bouquet or not, it’s worth the detour to see the incredible outdoor artwork packed with dahlias, tulips, irises, ranunculus, and more by eco-muralist Nicole Blanchard.
Another fantastic mural by the Australian husband-and-wife duo DABSMYLA brightens the outdoor expanse of the Pampa furniture store. Brimming with flowers and cacti set against a starry night sky, it captures the quintessential mystical vibe of Southern California’s deserts.
And before the weekend ends, walk around Doheny Drive and Beverly Boulevard, where jacaranda trees bloom dramatically in late spring. Their lavender canopies spill across sidewalks and plazas, creating one of LA’s most fleeting and beautiful seasonal moments.
Native to South America, their flowers arrive in LA each year in late May or early June, often lasting just a few weeks. They were introduced to Southern California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by horticulturists and city planners drawn to their drought tolerance, fast growth, and dramatic seasonal color.
Their short season adds to the magic, rewarding those who catch them mid-bloom with petals scattered like confetti across the pavement.
Find spots all across the city with an interactive map.
In Bloom, Everywhere
A bloom-filled weekend in Los Angeles isn’t about covering ground—it’s about paying attention.
From redwood-lined trails and rose-heavy gardens to jacaranda streets, floral murals, bookstores, bakeries, and cafés filled with plants, the city reveals itself through growth and care.
Follow what’s flowering and pause often—there’s so much to appreciate in Los Angeles, no matter what the season.
If Your Weekend Has Room to Stretch…
Carve out a few hours for a sojourn deeper into the valley, which reveals a few other blooming spots worth visiting, including the cheerful Coffee & Plants in Studio City. Tansy, a maximalist’s dream and black-woman-owned business on Magnolia Avenue in Burbank, is brimming with everything from rare plants, garlands, and art to home decor, stationery, and books.
In Sun Valley, a floral mural at 7604 Vineland transforms a familiar plaza into something unexpectedly lush. Painted with oversized poppies, butterflies, and palms, it was artist Brooklyn Wild Flowers’ first mural in Los Angeles. Their work now appears throughout the city, including closer to Culver City along Jacob Street, not far from the hotel.
