In Spanish, "descanso" means "rest." At Descanso Gardens, there are so many plant species—including hundreds of rose, iris and lilac permutations—you will need a rest after ogling them all.

Five acres of roses amid 160 acres of dewy, flowery, serene nature: Birds love this place, and why not? There's a huge lake with a bird-observation station in addition to ponds, fountains and nature trails. The iris garden bursts with more than 1,500 blooms; a native-plant garden contains nine acres of indigenous plants and a one-and-a-half-acre lilac grove with more than 455 varieties. The one-acre Japanese Garden contains a teahouse with koi streams. The 20-acre camellia forest (with nearly 50,000 camellias) is one of the largest in the world. It's sure to sneeze—er, sure to please even the most urban of urbanites.