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Desert Garden Conservatory

Nature & parks
In San Marino, California
1.3 mi from Route 66

The Desert Garden Conservatory, a large greenhouse at The Huntington in San Marino, just outside Pasadena, CA, sits about 1.3 miles off the old road. Built in 1985, it stands beside the 10-acre Desert Garden and shelters a collection of cacti and succulents ranked among the most important in the world, including many rare and endangered species. It is a quieter, more scientific companion to the open-air garden next door.

What is Desert Garden Conservatory?

The conservatory covers about 3,000 square feet. It is more than a display house: it serves as a conservation facility, a research resource and a bank of genetic diversity for desert plants. The collection is overseen by a curator, John N. Trager.

The numbers are large for a building of this size. The Huntington counts more than 2,200 accessions here, covering over 1,200 species and subspecies from more than 40 plant families and 246 genera. Plants come from the major deserts of the world, among them the southern United States, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, the Canary Islands, Madagascar, Malawi and South Africa.

Visiting Desert Garden Conservatory: tips

Treat the conservatory as part of a visit to The Huntington, not a separate trip; the main galleries and library are about 0.2 miles away. Pair it with a walk through the outdoor Desert Garden right next door, and allow about 30 minutes inside the glasshouse itself.

A cafe is a short walk away. If you want one more museum in the area, the Pacific Asia Museum is about 2.2 miles off.

Practical info

On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Desert Garden Conservatory

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Diner & restaurant
Twohey's
South Pasadena, CA · 2.3 mi from Desert Garden Conservatory
A 1950s-style diner in South Pasadena, founded in 1943 and known for a burger called the Little Stink-O.
Diner & restaurant
Fair Oaks Pharmacy
South Pasadena, CA · 2.4 mi from Desert Garden Conservatory
A 1915 pharmacy with an old-fashioned soda fountain, on the corner where Route 66 ran down Fair Oaks Avenue.
Diner & restaurant
Philippe's
Los Angeles, CA · 8.6 mi from Desert Garden Conservatory
A downtown Los Angeles restaurant running since 1908 that claims to have invented the French dip sandwich.