Your (UN)natural Garden at Descanso is an immersive and playful installation

From PasadenaNOW-You can admire gardens until your eyes grow moss of their own. You can toil in your backyard forever, trying to make the same locale look different each season. 

Or you can look for inspiration at “Your (Un)natural Garden,” an innovative, immersive art experience by provocative artist Adam Schwerner, which opens Saturday, April 16 through Jan. 8, 2023, at Descanso Gardens. 

We told you about this exhibit back in February, we’re pretty sure, but the time has come for you to see it for yourself.

We’re told the exhibition allows visitors to experience art in the garden like they’ve never seen or felt before. Schwerner’s work in the Sturt Haaga Gallery, Boddy House, and throughout the landscape “will intrigue the senses and demand participation,” according to our friends at Descanso.

“Your (Un)natural Garden” is an experience unique to anything at Descanso before. Installations at the Sturt Haaga Gallery, Boddy House, and throughout the landscape will intrigue visitors’ senses and invite participation. Archways, created with found materials, will lead to the art gallery and house. Once there, explore a host of surprising rooms – from hundreds of bells playing. to feather boas hanging from the ceiling. 

The show will invite visitors to experience nine large-scale multimedia installations as they adventure through the gardens and explore the Sturt Haaga Gallery and Boddy House. 


The installations are designed to intrigue visitors’ senses and invite participation. Giant archways, created with found materials, will lead to the art gallery and house. 

This exhibition, which is being produced in collaboration with JUST Design, Art Mafia, and Pink Sparrow, features nine botanical collections, a miniature railroad, house museum, modern art gallery, cafe and gift shop. The urban retreat also boasts a redwood forest, streams, a lake, a bird sanctuary and the largest camellia garden in the United States. Programmed events include morning yoga, weekend walks, storytime for kids, gardening tutorials, and annual festivals. 

All non-members need to buy online tickets in advance. Members can enter without an advance ticket. No tickets will be sold at the garden. Tickets for non-members will be released weekly Tuesdays at 10 am. 

When you visit, please note:

Masks and face-coverings are not required in outdoor spaces
Face coverings are required for all visitors in indoor spaces
Food can be enjoyed at the picnic tables outside of the Visitor Center
Non-members can purchase tickets online or at the Visitor Center
Descanso is currently a cashless establishment
The Boddy House and Enchanted Railroad are closed.
Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive in La Cañada Flintridge.(818) 949-4200. www.descansogardens.org.