My mother is visiting from out of town and she loves gardens. I brought her to this neighborhood garden so she can look at all the different plants and enjoy the surroundings. We sat at a bench and people watched plus enjoyed watching the squirrels and rabbits running around. The atmosphere was so nice that my mother didn't want to leave and just wanted to relax while sitting on the bench.

First rate Mediterranean style garden in Pasadena. Plenty of pathways, shaded seating areas and lots of mature trees and beautiful flowers. And it's free!

First time I’ve seen a “wish tree.” Interesting to read the wishes/prayers/confessions & hopes people have written and tied to the tree. The garden itself is sadly quite neglected, although there were a few volunteers there doing some maintenance

We stopped to walk around the Arlington Garden. It is a quiet and peaceful area in Pasadena. It is free to enter and is a great place to relax, have a picnic, or just wander. I recommend. Parking is available on the street.

I thought I had heard about Arlington Garden before via a Groupon offer, but I confused Arlington Garden with the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden across the street. Arlington has always been free and is open daily, whereas Storrier has an admission charge and only open weekends. It's interesting how there are two public gardens on what is primarily a residential street between bustling thoroughfares S. Pasadena Ave. and Orange Grove Blvd. In the late 19th and earth 20th centuries, this area was called Millionaire's Row because many wealthy families from the East Coast and Midwest had mansions here. The main remaining one is the Wrigley Mansion, now home to the Pasadena Tournament of Roses (they offer tours part of the year). The 3-acre Arlington Garden site once held the French chateau-inspired home of the John Durand family. The home was eventually razed, the furnishings sold at auction, and the land was purchased by CalTrans when it was actively trying to extend the 710 freeway up to the 210 freeway, a 30+ year battle it eventually lost, mainly to the mighty little city of South Pasadena. CalTrans leases the land to Pasadena, which in 2005, with the help of Arlington Drive neighbours Betty and Charles McKenney and garden designer Mayita Dinos, broke ground on the Garden. The garden has a more informal air than other larger, more highly organized (and funded) gardens in the area (Huntington, Arboretum, Descanso). It is a regenerative garden designed for our Mediterranean-like climate with numerous areas such as an olive allee, pine forest, wishing trees, labyrinth and citrus grove, whose oranges are made into marmalade that is for sale (we were able to sample some). There are tables under the olive trees where you can picnic, and many seating areas throughout. The only structure in the garden is a staff tool shed, where there is a porta-potty and water bottle refilling station. A pleasant place to spend an hour or two to relax or eat. It you're visiting the area, combine it with a tour of the Wrigley or Gamble House or a Norton Simon Museum visit.