Datebook: Events, exhibits, classes for the week ahead

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We’ve listed select home and garden events below. Suggest your own via reader comments. Submissions must contain fewer than 75 words and must be for one-time events with legitimate value to other readers. No store promotions and no frivolous links, please. L.A. at Home staff will determine which submissions will be made public, but we won’t edit the comments.

Friday: The Contemporary Crafts Market will feature more than 250 artists. Work includes glassware, ceramics, hand-painted textiles, custom furniture and jewelry. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. $8. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St. (310) 285-3655.

Saturday: A new interactive exhibition that allows visitors to walk among native Southern California butterflies opens at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through Aug. 1. Entry fee is $2 plus regular garden admission of $4 to $8. 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. (909) 625-8767.

Saturday: Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants nursery manager Louise Gonzalez lectures on “Changing Seasons in the Native Garden,” followed by a walk through the grounds for close examination of trees, shrubs, perennials and more. Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sunscreen. 9 a.m. to noon. $30 to $40. 10459 Tuxford Road, Sun Valley. (818) 768-1802.

Saturday: The Society of Architectural Historians/Southern California Chapter in Laguna Beach hosts a tour of a rare General Panel System home design by Josef Van der Kar, shown above. Julie D. Taylor will moderate a discussion with homeowner David Schroeder and architectural writer Jeffrey Head. Wine and cheese reception included. 2 to 4 p.m. $35 to $79.

Saturday: The fern and exotic plant show will feature more than 60 varieties of ferns plus more than 70 varieties of other plants, including rare species and collectibles. Orchids, bromeliads, cactuses, cycads, terrarium plants, begonias and tree ferns will be featured. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Included in regular admission of $3 to $8. Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. (626) 821-3222.

Saturday: Flower Duet leads a children’s class on how to create a fragrant arrangement of seasonal blooms using a technique called “bundle and place.” For ages 7 to 12. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Fee of $25 to $30 includes one accompanying adult. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Registration: (626) 405-2128.

Saturday: The Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society hosts its 10th annual drought resistant exhibit and plant sale. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 12, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 13. Free. Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino. (818) 367-0864.

Sunday: A.N. Abell’s Spring Fine Art & Antique auction will feature works by artists and artisans such as Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha and Sam Maloof, whose chair is shown at right. 10 a.m. Previews run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. 2613 Yates Ave., Commerce. For a full catalog: www.abell.com; (800) 404-2235.

Sunday: Jo Ann Carey leads a class on no-till square-foot gardening, which uses only 20% of the land space of a conventional garden and saves water and time. 9 a.m. to noon. $22 to $25. Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. (626) 821-3222.

-- Lisa BoonePhoto credits from top: Jeri Koegel; A.N. Abell