With their dramatic foliage, horticulturist Don Hodel...

With their dramatic foliage, horticulturist Don Hodel believes, his favorite plants evoke nothing less than the feel of paradise, or even the Garden of Eden.

“They make you think you’re in an exotic, tropical, mysterious, faraway place with a lot of rainfall and a lot of heat,” he said.

Today, starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Hodel will lecture about one of the modern-day symbols of Southern California--the palm tree.

Hodel will tell how to landscape with palms, especially ones that are hearty and durable, yet not overwhelming in size for residential settings. He will talk about palms that like full sun, that prefer full shade, that thrive indoors, that produce edible fruit, that do not need much water, and ones that can be happy in pots for years.

“There are quite a variety of palms that people can use,” he said.

From the time he was first captivated as a student at Cal Poly Pomona, Hodel, now 40, has focused his attention on the plant that he considers “something special.” He was so taken by palms that he went to graduate school at the University of Hawaii, where the plants abound.

In 1988, his “Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles” was published; this August, the International Palm Society is scheduled to release his new book, “Chamaedorea Palms.” These are bamboo palms to which Hodel will give some special emphasis during today’s talk, slide show and plant sale.

The Huntington is at 1151 Oxford Road. There is no charge for the lecture, but a $5 donation for adults ($3 for children and students) is requested at the gate. For more information, call (818) 405-2141.