Six Japanese women artists are showing work about water inside the Sturt Haaga Gallery at Descanso Gardens. They are Emiko Aida, Miya Ando, Yumiko Glover, Mineko Grimmer, Yuko Kimura and Ayomi Yoshida, and the work ranges from paintings and prints to sculpture. Just across the grounds, Descanso broke ground on May 18 in the auxiliary parking lot, where excavation began for an underground stormwater system. Both are about water, and so is almost everything else on the calendar from now until January 9.
The occasion is the Japanese Garden's 60th anniversary. Each of the three seasonal draws, Carved, Sound of Water and Enchanted Forest of Light, connects to it in some way, and all of them are happening while the lake at the center of the garden is being rebuilt.
A garden built by volunteers in 1966
The Japanese Garden opened in 1966. Landscape architect Eijiro Nunokawa designed it, and it was built with volunteer labor and money raised in the Japanese American community. San Marino architect Whitney R. Smith designed the teahouse, whose roof uses blue tiles imported from Japan. A minka designed by Kenneth Masao Nishimoto followed in 1969.
That history explains the anniversary exhibition's subject. Sound of Water: Feminine Expressions of Fluidity was curated by Japanese art historian Meher McArthur, and Descanso describes it as celebrating the Japanese Garden's 60th year. The gallery text calls water "serene and soft, yet also powerful and unpredictable," and asks visitors to think about their own relationship with it "as we face climatic extremes throughout the world." The show runs through January 3, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and gallery entry comes with regular admission or membership. The exhibition catalogue is posted as a PDF on Descanso's site.
The artist conversation on October 1 with McArthur, Grimmer, Glover and Ando sold out and has already happened. For now, a daytime walk through the gallery is the way to see the show.
What the lake project is building
The construction is a water project too. The Outlook Valley Sun reported that the groundbreaking covered three connected projects: a Stormwater Capture Project, a Lake Restoration and a Nature Discovery Garden.
The paper's project description includes these figures:
- The underground cistern will hold about 1.5 million gallons. It is designed to capture up to 21 million gallons of stormwater a year from a 256-acre watershed.
- Runoff from the Winery Canyon Channel will be diverted, filtered and reused on site for irrigation, refilling the lake and supporting habitat. This is expected to cut Descanso's use of imported potable water by up to 50%.
- The cistern is made of 336 precast reinforced concrete units set as deep as 17 feet below ground, with a projected lifespan of 50 to 75-plus years.
- The restored lake will also hold about 1.5 million gallons. It will be regraded with wetland shelves and sediment bays and will get accessible boardwalks, bridges and lookouts.
The cistern holds about 1.5 million gallons, and the system is designed to capture up to 21 million gallons a year. That works out to the full volume of the tank refilling and being used roughly fourteen times a year. The plan treats the Winery Canyon runoff as a supply that keeps flowing through the gardens.
Board Chair Karl Swaidan described the goals at the ceremony, as reported by the Outlook Valley Sun:
"Together, these projects will improve our guests' experience at Descanso when visiting, as well as provide educational opportunities, enhance our habitat for wildlife, and importantly, will demonstrate our ability with regard to water management and conservation."
CEO Juliann Rooke told the same audience that the master plan was approved by the County Board of Supervisors in November 2020, and that the larger campaign for Descanso totals $65 million. ABC7 reported that all three projects are expected to be finished in late 2027. That makes this fall's season the first of two to run with construction underway.
Descanso's visit page still advertises free parking. Ask at the front gate how the lake edge looks the day you visit.
Carved adds the one night it never had
Carved runs through November 1, from 6 to 10 p.m. nightly. The setup is familiar from past years: glowing jack-o'-lanterns, giant hand-carved pumpkins, illuminated railroad displays and wood spirits placed throughout the grounds.
This year's changes are concrete. Bobolito's "Rhizome" has moved to the Oak Grove. The labyrinth has new sculptures by Helsinki-based artist Alexander Reichstein, and Descanso says this is his first time exhibiting in the United States.
Halloween is now on the schedule. In Descanso's words, "For the first time ever, you can spend Halloween at Carved." Trick-or-treating is included with a Carved ticket on October 31. In earlier years the season ended before the holiday. This year it covers the holiday itself.
Ticket prices vary by night:
| Member | Nonmember | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $22–$45 | $29–$52 |
| Child, ages 2–12 | $12–$30 | $19–$37 |
| Under 2 | Free | Free |
Parking in the Descanso lots is free and first-come, first-served. Valet costs $10 per vehicle and is free for members, but the number of valet spots is limited.
The calendar between Carved and the new year
After Carved closes, the anniversary theme carries through the gallery, a hands-on workshop and the holiday light walk.
- Through January 3: Sound of Water at the Sturt Haaga Gallery, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, included with admission.
- November 19 and 21, 2 to 4 p.m.: Rooted Workshop: Saikei Jade Forest, a workshop inspired by Japanese art. It costs $75 for members and $80 for nonmembers, and registration is required in advance.
- November 22 through January 9: Enchanted Forest of Light, 5:30 to 10 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, and on Christmas Day.
- December 2 through 6: A Holiday Market on the Main Lawn with work by local craftspeople. Daytime hours are 1 to 4 p.m. and evening hours are 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The workshop listing doesn't call it an anniversary event. Coming in the same months as a Japanese art exhibition, though, it is the one chance this season to make something yourself instead of only looking at it.
Enchanted brings the koi to the Garden of Good Fortune
Enchanted's changes this year also trace back to the anniversary. A laser show debuts on the Main Lawn and ends with a "snowfall" finale. Tom Fruin's lit-up house sculptures move to the Oak Grove. Giant Koi will appear in the Garden of Good Fortune to mark the Japanese Garden's 60th year. The two Oak Grove changes mean the same stretch of trees hosts a new feature in both the October and December seasons.
The route is about a mile long and works for strollers and wheelchairs. Descanso says its popular nights sell out and recommends buying tickets ahead. Prices follow the same ranges as Carved: $22 to $45 for member adults and $29 to $52 for nonmember adults. Anytime tickets, which aren't tied to a set night, cost $65 for members and $85 for nonmembers. The event runs after the garden's regular hours.
Before or after, without leaving the gate
Three on-site options cover most visits. Jones Coffee Roasters is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Market is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Farmhouse at Descanso Gardens serves from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and opens at 10:30 a.m. on weekends. Farmhouse stays open until 10, the same closing time as Carved and Enchanted, so you can make a dinner reservation for the same night as your ticket. Descanso links to Farmhouse reservations directly from the Carved page.
The camellia collection starts blooming in early autumn and peaks in January and February. That means the collection is already in bloom during the weeks Enchanted runs.
The anniversary exhibition closes January 3, and Enchanted ends six days later. Next fall's season will run while the lake work continues, and the boardwalks, bridges and lookouts at the lake are scheduled to open by the end of 2027.
At Haynes Group, we've spent years around La Cañada's older gardens, and Descanso's plan to hold its own rainwater is the kind of long-term thinking we like to see in a property. If you're wondering how your own garden, drainage or hardscape would show to buyers, we'd be glad to walk the property with you and give you a valuation.
