Witness the springtime bloom at the La Cañada Flintridge garden during monthly guided tours (Mar 17, 18; Apr 21, 22; May 19, 20 11am–noon). As for those beautiful pink-flowering trees, you’ll want to head to the Japanese garden. Make sure to check the garden’s bloom status before you secure your reservation; as of early March, the Okame cherry trees have hit the end of their bloom cycle, but the Akebono and Beni Hoshi trees are expected to blossom later in the month.
Well before the jacaranda trees bloom and just as the California poppies begin to flower, Los Angeles also greets the springtime with cherry blossom season.
If you’re after blossoming buds, you’ll largely want to head to a botanical garden or Japanese garden between March and April, though sometimes slightly earlier (other pink trees like peach blossoms can pop off as early as February).
You’ll also find some cherry blossom festivals, where a handful of Southern California cities salute their Japanese roots. Oddly enough, while some of these fests take place in parks and along city streets adorned with those delicate pink flowers, some don’t actually feature any cherry trees.
Peak blooms are pretty short-lived, so we suggest checking each spot (Instagram tends to be particularly useful) for up-to-the-minute photos before you trek on over.
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