Midcentury home tour in Pasadena on March 30

Pasadena's many examples of fine Midcentury residential architecture will be the topic of a lecture, and some will be open to the public next week.

On Wednesday, Kenneth A. Breisch, director of USC School of Architecture's historic preservation program, will present a lecture on "Postwar Pasadena," setting the stage for a self-guided tour March 30 of eight privately owned homes, including the King residence and Rapor, both designed by Buff & Hensman. The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the chapel of the Neighborhood Church, 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena. Tickets for the lecture are $10 at the door. The self-driven tour is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 30. Tickets are $30 to $35 in advance and $40 the day of the tour. For further information, visit www.pasadenaheritage.org or call (626) 441-6333.

TODAY

Ethnobotany lecture:

Joseph Arditti, professor emeritus at UC Irvine, will discuss how people of different cultures use orchids, at the meeting of the San Gabriel Valley Orchid Hobbyists. 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Free. Plants will be available for purchase at a silent auction. (626) 335-6641.

Haynes Foundation lecture:

Historian Daniel Hurewitz will examine the Los Angeles neighborhood once known as Edendale in "L.A.'s Forgotten Bohemia." 7:30 p.m. Free. Friends' Hall, Huntington Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Free. (626) 405-3500.

SATURDAY

Container gardening:

Jeff Delzell, Descanso's container display gardener, will talk about plant choices, care of perennial and annual flowers, design and color combinations. 10 a.m. to noon. Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. $15 and $20. Reservations: www.descansogardens.org or (818) 949-7980.

Wildflower show

: The California Native Plant Society hosts this display of native wildflowers each day at 1 p.m. Free. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Malibu Bluffs Park, corner of Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway. (818) 782-9346.

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Lisa Boone

Please send listings at least three weeks in advance to home @latimes.com or to the Home section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012.