Spring Is Busting Out All Over

Certain springtime traditions remind us the latest and greatest could well be something familiar. Stone fruit trees, members of the Prunus family, blossom anew each year in gauzy clouds of pinks and whites.

Now, after an especially cold and wet dormant season, there are more plums in petal than there are taquerías on Lake Avenue, more peaches budding than headlights on the 134 East, more cherry blossoms than teenage girls swarming over prom dresses at Forever 21. Take in those flowers, while they're here.

What: Cherry Blossom Festival

Where: Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada-Flintridge

When: March 19 & 20

One of the best locales for drinking in the ephemeral beauty of the ornamental cherry blossom is next door, at Descanso Gardens. April is Asian-Pacific Heritage month but sakura, Japanese for cherry blossom, is here now. The Big D celebrates spring with a Japanese-themed Cherry Blossom Festival.

A self-guided cherry blossom walk reveals plentiful Prunus cultivars throughout the grounds. Best bet is a free-with-admission docent-led tour at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. either day so somebody more knowledgeable can identify the P. serrulata ‘Beni Hoshi (baby pink) from the P. subhirtella (weeping) ‘Autumnalis’ or countless other varieties covered in sweetly fragrant, popcorn-like clusters.

Saturday features traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, at 11, 12:30 and 2 p.m. in the Japanese Garden’s Full Moon Tea House. Seating is limited which may be a cosmic sign to instead order a “cherry-tini” cocktail. This signature drink won’t be available again until June, so hand over the keys and have two. Don’t pass out under the bushes, but if you wake up and find yourself here on Sunday morning, stay for the 11 a.m. cooking demo.

One of the biggest bangs at a botanical garden is public education programs.  And here it is: Resident Horticulturalist Mike Brown gives a 10:30 a.m. talk on the care and feeding of cherry trees. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about varieties of not only ornamental but edible stone fruits for success in mild Southern California. Hint: Which need fewer than 400 hours of cold nights, why does rootstock matter, and do you need two trees to get fruit?  Really?  Really. For gardeners wishing to tend the magic at home, Prunus trees will be available for sale, along with planting and fertilizing instruction at the Magnolia Lawn.

What: “The Art of the Japanese Garden” 

When: Saturday, March 19, 1:00 to 3 p.m.

Where: Sierra Madre School, 141 W. Highland Avenue, in Sierra Madre

On Saturday, March 19, history and horticulture dovetail for a commemorative celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Japanese-American Goodwill Garden at Sierra Madre School.  Originally installed by Sierra Madre residents in 1930-31, the garden experienced an alternately beloved and tortured history, mirroring the political and social temblors of 20th-century America.

In February 1942 Executive Order 9066 authorized the evacuation of all Americans of Japanese ancestry from the Pacific Coast. The military coordinated the effort, removing over 100,000 residents from their homes in California, Oregon and Washington.  An estimated 62% were U.S. citizens. San Gabriel Valley families were processed and held at the local Civilian Assembly Center, residing in the stables at , while awaiting the move to relocation camps in sparsely populated areas of California, Utah, Arkansas, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona.

Sierra Madre School shepherds a slice of American history with its Goodwill Garden.  The school has teamed with the Sierra Madre Historical Society and Sierra Madre Library for a slide presentation and talk titled “The Art of the Japanese Garden.” 

This relic was partially buried, likely in the 1950s, as an act of vandalism, according to Sierra Madre Library archivist Debbie Henderson.  In 1995, the garden was restored by teachers and students.  In 1998 they expanded their efforts.  “The community pitched in,” says Henderson. The students held bake sales and car washes to raise maintenance funds and awareness of the local treasure.

Saturday’s program features the attendance of one of the original Sierra Madre School students of the era, Mitz Kunahiro. Renowned landscape sculptor Lew Watanabe will also attend.  

(Two Watanabe installations are on permanent display at Descanso Gardens, one is a large weeping wall on the Main Lawn, flanked by two cherry trees.)

Early garden champion, Sierra Madre School teacher Helen Pontarelli and her students will share experiences of reinstating and tending the garden.

The public is invited to this free program chronicling the art, restoration and ongoing care of one of several historic Japanese-American gardens in Sierra Madre. The program begins at 1:00 p.m. on the 2nd floor Arts Discovery Room at Sierra Madre School.  This event is wheelchair accessible.  A walking tour of the garden follows. 

For more information, contact Debbie Henderson at (626) 355-7186 or dhenderson@cityofsierramadre.com