Is stop and smell the roses is a trite phrase on the same level as live, laugh love? Indeed, it is. But that doesn’t mean that this oft-repeated daily saying doesn’t have some truth to it. Taking advantage of life’s little moments is advisable and almost an obligation if we want to be happier, and this is what these gardens allow us to do! Let’s discover the best places to see roses in full bloom this spring…
Exposition Park Rose Garden
While the two spots above are already quite popular for bloom-seekers, you can also find a sea of colorful roses at Exposition Park Rose Garden. The stunning oasis is open from 9AM to dusk daily and is filled with towering roses in every imaginable color. This historic garden has been around since the 1920s and is one of the lesser-known treasures in L.A.
📍 Location: 701 State Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037
📆 Hours: Daily, 9AM-7:30PM
🎫 Tickets info: Free admission
Virginia Robinson Gardens Rose Gardens
This 1911 estate, built by department store magnates Harry and Virginia Robinson, features Italianate architecture, lush gardens, and stunning views stretching to Catalina Island. The rose gardens are a highlight, with over 500 blooming plants split between a display garden and a cutting garden.
Near a historic tennis court once used by Charlie Chaplin, the display garden features 34 rose varieties, including Virginia’s favorite: a vibrant pink hybrid tea rose called Eiffel Tower. A historic climbing rose, planted in Virginia’s lifetime, still blooms against the estate’s outer walls.
📍 Location: 1008 Elden Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
📆 Hours: By reservation only
🎫 Tickets info: General admission $15
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
It’s no secret that The Huntington is known for its incredible show of fauna and flora, but the roses are one of the biggest draws. Walking through the archways feels like stepping into A Midsummer Night’s Dreamm surreal and impossibly stunning.
The three-acre garden contains more than 2,500 individual plants and more than 1,300 different cultivated varieties (cultivars), including the very special Huntington’s 100th Rose hybridized by Tom Carruth, The Huntington’s E. L. The pastel-colored creation emits an intense fragrance of lemon blossom with a hint of baby powder.
📍 Location: 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108
📆 Hours: Daily, 10AM-5PM
🎫 Tickets info: General admission $29
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
The Rose Garden at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, designed by renowned landscape architect Edward Huntsmen Trout, is a charming blend of heritage roses and David Austin selections. Surrounded by citrus trees and towering Mexican fan palms, the garden features elegant pergolas and arbors that create a romantic, tranquil setting.
📍 Location: 301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
📆 Hours: Daily, 9AM-5PM
🎫 Tickets info: General admission $15
Descanso Gardens
Meanwhile, Descanso’s Rose Garden boasts around 1,600 roses (all currently reaching peak bloom) planted in the 5.5-acre space with a curated selection of species, including sustainable roses, that thrive in the region’s unique climate.
This beautiful floral display represents hundreds of years of rose cultivation that have brought unique hybridized variations like the ever-popular Charlotte Armstrong and Queen Elizabeth.
📍 Location: 1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
📆 Hours: Daily, 9AM-5PM
🎫 Tickets info: General admission $15
Lake-Shrine-Gandhi World Peace Rose Garden
The Lake Shrine Gandhi World Peace Rose Garden in Pacific Palisades, is a hidden gem and a peaceful retreat where you can escape the city’s noise and reconnect with nature. Home to a variety of roses symbolizing unity, this serene garden is part of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine and features a memorial with a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes, making it a deeply spiritual and historical site.
📍 Location: 17190 W Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
📆 Hours: By reservation only
🎫 Tickets info: Free admission
Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens
Florence Bixby, wife of real estate tycoon Fred Bixby, cherished the scent of old-fashioned roses, which she believed made the world a better place. To keep that aroma close, she commissioned a small but elegant rose garden at Rancho Los Alamitos in 1927. Nestled within the estate’s four acres of gardens, the roses sit on a tiled terrace between the Olive Patio and the Oleander Walk.
Designed by the Olmsted brothers, the garden features a few dozen roses, including rare varieties like the Los Angeles rose, which won the prestigious Bagatelle prize in 1918, and the striking pink-and-yellow Talisman.
📍 Location: 6400 E Bixby Hill Rd, Long Beach, CA 90815
📆 Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 1PM-5PM
🎫 Tickets info: Free admission
Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum Rose Garden
The Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum in Rancho Dominguez boasts a stunning historic rose garden with over 300 rose bushes. Established in the 1940s as part of a WPA initiative, this serene 17-acre site also features a cactus garden, orchards, and mature trees, offering a perfect escape for nature lovers. It’s an ideal spot for peaceful strolls, horticultural enthusiasts, or anyone looking to enjoy a beautiful, tranquil setting.
📍 Location: 18127 South Alameda Street, Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220
📆 Hours: Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday, at 1PM, 2PM and 3PM
🎫 Tickets info: Free admission