Datebook: Events, exhibits, classes for the week ahead

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

We’ve listed select home and garden events below. Suggest your own via reader comments. Submissions must be 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.

Thursday: Descanso Gardens’ summer concert series “The Evolution of American Jazz” continues under the trees. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursdays through July. Blankets and picnics (normally not allowed) are encouraged. Included in regular garden admission of $3 to $8. 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. (818) 949-2400.

Thursday: David MacLaren, curator of Asian gardens at the Huntington, will discuss the horticultural, aesthetic and philosophical differences between Japanese and Chinese gardens, with a focus on plants and pruning techniques. A sale will follow the program. 2:30 p.m. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Free. (626) 405-2100

Thursday: Marta Teegan will discuss her new book, “Homegrown,” a guide for creating easy-to-tend vegetable plots. 7 p.m. Free. Vromans, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 449-5320.

Thursday: The Southern California Horticultural Society hosts plant pathologist Jim Downer, who will discuss diseases and pests, common and uncommon. After a brief slide show, Downer will look at samples of diseased plants brought in plastic bags by audience members. 7:30 p.m. $5. Friendship Auditorium near Griffith Park, 3201 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles. (818) 567-1496.
Saturday: Bauer hosts a monthly showroom sale (shown at right) of Bauer Pottery and Russel Wright American Modern seconds. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 3051 Rosslyn St., Atwater. (818) 500-0666.

Saturday: The Venice Chamber of Commerce and Earth Day Los Angeles present “Venice Eco-Fest 2010 - Venice Beach Music and
Arts Eco-Festival & Trade Show.” 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival will be located on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, in the area of the Venice Plaza & Recreation area at the end of Windward Avenue. (310) 396-8205.

Saturday: Learn the difference between winter and summer pruning and familiarize yourself with the basic tools and techniques in this hands-on workshop with Lora Hall of Full Circle Gardening. 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. $35 to $45. Registration: (626) 405-2128.

Saturday: Pasadena Heritage hosts a ‘Celebration on the Colorado Street Bridge,’ from 6 to 11 p.m. Advance tickets $5 to $13.50; day of event $6.50 to $15. (626) 441-6333.

Sunday: The Surfrider Foundation’s West LA/Malibu Chapter offers a hands-on workshop as part of its Ocean Friendly Gardens Program. The class will cover site evaluation, and participants will walk through a yard and discuss the principles of CPR: conservation, permeability and retention. 9 a.m. to noon. $25. 6436 W. 80th Place, Westchester. Registration: oceanfriendlygardens@surfriderwlam.org or (310) 694-8351.

ONGOING
Brown Bag Tuesdays: The Gamble House, the Arts and Crafts landmark designed by Charles and Henry Greene, continues a weekly lunch program. Visitors are invited to picnic on the rear lawn or terrace of the 1908 estate between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each Tuesday. Twenty-minute docent-led tours will be given at 12:15 and 12:45 p.m. for $5, through Oct. 23. 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena; (626) 793-3334. Reservations: (626) 449-4178.

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

L.A. Box Collective: A newly formed group of 12 Los Angeles-based furniture designers and makers committed to environmentally-conscious design and production show their latest works at a Chinatown gallery through Aug. 29. Free. Fifth Floor Gallery, 502 Chung King Court, Los Angeles. (213) 687-8443.

Rohlfs exhibition: The first major exhibition of furniture and decorative art by the American craftsman Charles Rohlfs (1853-1936) features more than 40 pieces from 10 museums and private collections. 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. Closed Tuesdays. Through Sept. 6. $6 to $20. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. (626) 405-2100.

Technorganic exhibit: ‘Technorganic: Evolutionary Art+Design,’ an exhibition of artworks and mass-produced designs by Marcel Wanders, Karim Rashid, Ron Arad, Phillipe Starck, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Objct Gallery, 536 W. First St., Claremont. (909) 621-0125.

-- Lisa Boone
Photo credits: Los Angeles Times