Some stops along the way

A sampling of spring garden and home tours and major garden- related events are listed below. Many are not wheelchair accessible, and some do not allow children. Call ahead for details.

MARCH

March 24: Cliff May Tour. A rare look at Cliff May’s Riviera Ranch and Sullivan Canyon homes in Brentwood. Sponsored by the Gamble House. $75 general admission, $50 for Friends of the Gamble House members. www.gamblehouse.org.

March 25: Pasadena Heritage Spring Home Tour. A self-driven look at variations of period revival architecture including Mediterranean Revival and Classical Revival. Stops at seven private homes by Myron Hunt, Roland E. Coate and the firm of Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advance tickets $30 to $35; day of tour $40. (626) 441-6333, www.pasadenaheritage.org.

March 30-April 1: CA Boom 4 Home Tours. Architects and designers lead visitors through homes in Santa Monica, Venice and Mar Vista over three days. Timed departures from about 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tour tickets are $75 per day or $200 for a three-day pass. Shuttles provided. Held in conjunction with the annual CA Boom exposition of modern design, to be held this year at the Santa Monica Airport. Show includes some designers of landscapes and garden accessories. (310) 394-8600; daily tour lineup at www.caboomshow.com.

APRIL

April 21-22: California Poppy Festival. Annual event celebrates spring bloom in the Antelope Valley. Lancaster City Park, 43011 N. 10th St. West. $4 to $7. Rain or shine. (661) 723-6077, www.poppyfestival.com.

April 22: The Creative Arts Group’s annual Art of the Garden tour of five Pasadena garden estates. $25 in advance, $30 day of tour. (626) 355-8350, www.creativeartsgroup.org.

April 22: American Institute of Architects Spring Home Tour. Four homes in West Hollywood and Hancock Park by John Barone, Linda Pollari, Robert Somol, David Thompson and Clive Wilkinson. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. $75. (213) 639-0777, www.aialosangeles.org.

April 22: Pacific Palisades Garden Club’s annual Spring Garden Tour. Self-guided look at seven Westside gardens and a plant market. 1 to 5 p.m. $20 in advance, $25 day of the event. (310) 454-7826 or (310) 476-1318.

April 22-May 20: Pasadena Showcase House of Design. Descanso Gardens’ Regency-style Boddy House will be transformed this year. $30 to $35 in advance; $35 to $40 at the door. 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada-Flintridge. (714) 442-3872, www.pasadenashowcase.org.

April 24-May 20: Philharmonic House of Design. Set in Tustin, this “Hampton chic” home features sweeping vistas of Orange County and a boutique vineyard. Tickets $25 until April 20, $30 after. Pass for unlimited entry is $35 in advance, $40 at the door. (714) 840-7542, www.philharmonicsociety.org.

April 28: Green Gardens Tour Santa Monica. The third annual event highlights sustainably beautiful designs, practices and technologies. Ecologically sound landscapes are tailored to local climate. Advance tickets $25 to $30; day of tour $40. Call for bus fees. (310) 264-4224, www.virginiaavenueproject.org.

April 28: The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens opens “Linnaeus in the Garden,” an exhibit of rare books related to the Swedish botanist credited for creating the first system for naming plants. The show coincides with the 300th birthday of Carl Linnaeus, who also is credited with advancing the discussion on plant sexuality. Through July 29. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. $6 to $15. (626) 405-2100, www.huntington.org.

April 28-29: Theodore Payne Native Garden Tour. A self-guided look at more than 30 gardens throughout the Los Angeles basin, each composed of at least 50% California native plants. Buy tickets online or by phone and receive a program with directions and descriptions. No programs will be mailed after April 14. (818) 768-1802, www.theodorepayne.org.

April 29 and May 12: The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days tours of gardens in the Pasadena (April 29) and West Los Angeles and Santa Monica (May 12) areas. $5 per garden. For a directory of Open Days gardens throughout the West ($6.95), call (888) 842-2442 or visit www.opendaysprogram.org.

April 29: Bungalow Heaven Home Tour. Self-guided walking tour of historic Arts & Crafts-era homes in Pasadena. (626) 585-2172 or www.bungalowheaven.org.

MAY

May 3: The Laguna Beach Garden Club presents the Gate & Garden Walking Tour of 11 properties in a neighborhood of historic cottages. $25. www.lagunabeachgardenclub.org.

May 5: Venice Garden and Home Tour. Self-guided walk highlighting more than two-dozen residences on the walk-streets near Abbot Kinney Boulevard. $60 in advance, $70 day of show. (310) 821-1857, www.venicegardentour.org.

May 5-6: L.A. Garden Show. Demonstration gardens open for touring, lectures and a marketplace for plants and garden accessories at this annual event at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 301N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Included in regular admission of $2.50 to $7. (626) 821-3243, www.arboretum.org.

May 5-6: The annual Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour presents a self-guided look at 38 gardens from Long Beach to San Clemente. Donations benefit the Sheepfold home for abused women and children in Tustin. www.heardsgardentour.com.

May 17: Tustin Garden Club’s Spring Garden Tour. Four homes on the main tour: a cottage and courtyard garden, an expansive estate garden, a Southwestern-style landscape and a perennial garden. $20. Offered separately is a catered lunch and tour at one of the oldest estates in Lemon Heights. $40. Tickets available after April 1. (714) 734-8574.

May 19: Venice Art Walk hosts two sets of home tours -- one in Santa Monica and Venice emphasizing sustainable design, the other near Marina del Rey emphasizing art. Both are self-driven. Participants must choose one set of homes to tour; they cannot see both. $50. (310) 392-9255.

May 20: Annual plant sale at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Bring a cart and peruse thousands of rare and exotic plants. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. (626) 405-2100, www.huntington.org.

-- Lisa Boone