Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens invites the public to experience its annual “Now Blooming: Magnolias” exhibition, featuring trees from an ancient genus of approximately 200 species displayed across the Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden, North Vista, and Rose Garden.
Magnolia blooms range from pristine white to soft pink, deep rose, and rich purple, releasing fragrances that hint at sweet candy, spicy verbena, tart lemon, citrus-honey, or dusty violets. Featured varieties include Magnolia ‘Butterflies,’ Royal Star Magnolia in the Japanese Garden, Magnolia doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud,’ and Chinese Magnolia ‘Verbanica’ in the Rose Garden.
Beyond aesthetic appeal, the display represents The Huntington’s significant conservation efforts. The institution notes the significance of magnolias as “the focus of some of The Huntington’s most important botanical conservation work.” The Huntington maintains a tissue culture collection of more than 35 magnolia taxa and employs cryopreservation technology, freezing specimens in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius for long-term preservation spanning over a century.
The San Marino institution operates daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesdays. Adult admission ranges from $29 to $34; seniors pay $24 to $28, students and military with ID $24, and children ages four to 11 pay $13 weekdays or $15 on weekends and holidays. Children under four and members enter free.
“Now Blooming: Magnolias” will run on Tuesday, Jan. 13 through Friday, Feb. 13 at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. For more information, call (626) 405-2100 or visit https://www.huntington.org/event/now-blooming-magnolias. Ticket prices: Free with general admission; advance reservations required on weekends, holidays, and peak seasons.
