Arlington Garden is a climate appropriate habitat garden offering learning, inspiration, and enjoyment for all.

Join us on October 19th to help kick off our 20th Anniversary! For sponsorship opportunities, click here.

Arlington Garden Pasadena map

Arlington Garden Pasadena map

HOW TO FIND US

Arlington Garden in Pasadena
275 Arlington Drive
Pasadena, CA 91105

For mailing address, click here

Arlington Garden is accessible via public transportation.

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Instead of a freeway, we built a garden. DM to purchase a photo permit, school visit, volunteer + more!

🍂🍂 Get your tickets for this Sunday’s Autu

🍂🍂 Get your tickets for this Sunday’s Autumn in the Garden fundraiser—just 5 days away! Fun, food, drink, music, and more to support your favorite free public garden this weekend. ⁣
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Before the garden party gets started, we will recognize three special honorees with awards and accolades. The VIP Reception begins at 4pm with tickets still available.
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GROUND BREAKER AWARD ✨ In Memoriam ✨⁣
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Betty and Charles “Kicker” McKenney are the founding neighbors and initiators of Arlington Garden who rallied our community to grow a beautiful garden instead of a freeway. Their vision, dedication, and extraordinary organizing created this community treasure in collaboration with the City of Pasadena @cityofpasadena and their neighbors.
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CONSTANT GARDENER AWARD⁣
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Cheryl Bode is a former Arlington board member (2015-2017) with enduring support for the garden. She helped guide the development of our aesthetic, including graphic identity (with advisory council member Bill Smith of DesignSimple) and iconic entrance gate by artist James Naish (with former Executive Director Michelle Matthews). Cheryl has also served a host of local organizations, too, including the Gamble House, Habitat for Humanity, Tournament of Roses, Pasadena Elks, and Planned Parenthood SGV!
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SEED STARTER AWARD⁣
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Leah Thomas @greengirlleah is a Garden champion, environmental activist, and author of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 + 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵. In 2020, she founded @intersectionalenvironmentalist an online platform dedicated to promoting inclusivity in environmentalism. Through her production company, Leah has created globally impactful events like the Black EcoFeminist Summit and Earth Sessions.
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Following the VIP reception, we’ll celebrate our awardees, volunteers, neighbors, and partners with a garden party featuring live music, a silent auction, wine, and great food from @agnes_pasadena and @homestate — and stay tuned for highlights on the music and more! ⁣
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Won’t you join us? 🔗 in bio to purchase tickets!

Get your tickets now to Autumn in the Garden on Oc

Get your tickets now to Autumn in the Garden on October 19th, 2025!

Celebrate our 20th Anniversary with a special Autumn in the Garden fundraiser! Reflecting on our history, we will honor three visionary awardees Betty and Charles McKenney, Cheryl Bode, and Leah Thomas alongside past and present volunteers, garden staff, neighbors, and other supporters who have collectively grown this beautiful place over the last two decades.

Attendees will mingle with our awardees and special guests, sample delicious fare and libations, and chill to hypnotic autumnal vibes and renewing music.

For the past 20 years, Arlington Garden has grown near the heart of Pasadena. We are a peaceful sanctuary to humans and animals, an environmental and gardening education hub, and a source of inspiration for our future urban landscape.

Now is your opportunity to support this vital natural space and ensure it continues to thrive for decades to come.

We hope you’ll join us! Link in bio.

Images of past Autumn(s) in the Garden celebrations by @erinshimazuphotography

Graphic background by @westridgeschool student Joovy Chen who dedicated her summer project to Arlington’s recovery! ❤️‍🩹

Did you know that a small but mighty group of natu

Did you know that a small but mighty group of nature journalers called @shadowhillsnjc meets to observe and wander at Arlington Garden monthly? We’re just one of many locations the group travels to experience nature centers and other locations across the region through the practice of nature journaling—together!

Coming up on Sunday 9/21 from 9:30-11:30am, you can learn skills in the science and art of nature journaling at 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘴: 𝘈 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱, organized and facilitated by @shadowhillsnjc founder Terri Mando in support of Arlington Garden’s reopening.

At the session, attendees will record their nature observations using words, pictures and numbers using an educational framework developed and taught by John Muir Laws (@johnmuirlaws) and Wild Wonder Foundation (@wildwonderfoundation)

All materials you need to participate are provided in a fun tote bag package.

This workshop, all materials and all proceeds are being generously donated by @shadowhillsnjc to benefit Arlington Garden as we reopen.

Limited space is available! Only 10 spaces remain.

Register at the 🔗 in bio on Eventbrite and see you there!

A special Weekend Project volunteer event meets th

A special Weekend Project volunteer event meets this Saturday 8/30 beginning at 8am and ending before 11am (earlier start due to the heat !)

Bermuda grass. It is a lovely turf grass, given enough water. It is also an infamous weed with murky origins. It’s easy to remove its tangled, vertebrae-like stems from above the soil, but underneath … well … tentacle-like roots wait in darkness, biding their time, before reaching up again into the light.

Recall the film Alien? An apt description of Bermuda grass is this one, from the character Ash, describing the terrifying alien lifeform in the film:

“You still don’t understand what you’re dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility... I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality”

TLDR. Bermuda grass is scary. But we have a plan!

At this special Weekend Projects, we will learn from experts at LA Compost about Bermuda grass remediation and removal. For this workshop, we will begin with step one of a four-step experimental removal process that does not use herbicides.

This weed clearance is part of a larger project to restore community compost access on site!

The garden is now reopen after an extended closure due to the fire that destroyed our shed, and we will be working in the shade. Please bring extra water and your favorite digging tools.

Sign up at the link in our bio!

Have you read about how feral non-native honeybees

Have you read about how feral non-native honeybees are hogging all the pollen here in LA and Southern California? The social nature of honeybees is among the traits that make them better at foraging than other bees, who are feeling the pressure.

In California alone, though, we have 1,600 different species of native bees that have been living here a lot longer than the honeybees, some of them even having adapted relationships with specific plants.

So we are happy to see more of our California native bees at Arlington, such as the Black-tailed Bumble Bee, the Tripartite Sweat Bee, and the Yellow-faced Bumble Bee, who are pictured here.

What can we do to bring more native bees to our gardens? Plant more natives, especially ones that are truly local. Plant a variety of different things as well, with different flower sizes, and try to always have something in bloom throughout the year. Leaving bare dirt and having logs or other decomposing wood features helps to provide nesting areas, and of course don’t use any pesticides or chemicals.

(Post and photos by William Hallstrom)

In case you missed it or couldn’t make it, Arlin

In case you missed it or couldn’t make it, Arlington will host a special volunteer session this Saturday 8/2 from 9AM-12Noon where we welcome you and can finally take you up on your offers to help us prepare for reopening!

The garden is not open in full quite yet due to an unexpectedly long insurance timeline, but we are getting ready to reopen soon and we need your help!

We will be tackle routine but important maintenance projects that will be a huge help as we begin to prepare the garden to welcome all for learning, enjoyment and inspiration!

✅Weeding
✅ Raking
✅ Pruning
✅ Weeding
✅ Pathway Maintenance
✅ Sweeping
✅ Watering
✅ Oh and also weeding

The focus of the work will be away from the fire debris at the far end of the garden.

Please BYOT (bring your own tools) to lend to the session you any to share. We have not yet been able to replace all of the tools lost during the fire, including some that have been offered by donation to us by you lovely folks! We’ll be better prepared to accept tool and equipment donations soon, once we have a secure temporary space to store them.

Wear closed toe shoes, a hat and long pants. Masks will be provided. Bring a water bottle.

We are excited to see you. 🔗 Sign up is requested at the link in our bio.

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