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San Clemente, CA – Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a nonprofit organization, welcomes guests to visit the cultural center’s historic home and water-wise gardens this winter. Elsewhere, winter is when gardens go into hibernation. Casa Romantica is one of the few botanical gardens that thrive in the winter with drought-tolerant plants that bloom all season long.
These plants, originally from the tropics but well-suited to Southern California’s temperate Mediterranean climate, are characterized as having warm, rich colors, deep green shrubbery to attract pollinators, and heavenly scents. Winter is when red aloe arborescens, yellow ‘popcorn’ cassia, and the golden rain plant burst into bloom, along with many other plants that thrive in coastal Southern California’s mild winter climate. When summer-blooming perennials disappear, these hardy plants fill gaps in between other plants and bloom productively.
Some of the plants visitors can expect to see are:
Aloe Arborescens
Red aloe arborescens is a blooming aloe plant that bloom cylindrical flowers that grow 6-10 feet tall. It is valued by gardeners for its succulent green leaves, large vibrantly-colored flowers, winter blooming, and attraction for birds, bees, and butterflies. You can find them at Casa Romantica in our Story Circle.
‘Popcorn’ Cassia
Yellow ‘popcorn’ cassia is a hairy, aromatic shrub usually growing up to about 15 feet tall. Popcorn Cassia originally hails from tropical parts of central and eastern Africa. It gets its name from its smell: the flowers, when rubbed gently, emit the scent of buttered popcorn. The flowers are like their namesake in more ways than one, because the bright yellow blooms mimic both the shape and color similarity of movie theater popcorn! You can find them in our Spanky Chang children’s garden.
Golden Rain Plant
The Golden Rain plant is native to the Indian subcontinent, although it is cultivated all over the world, and is the national flower of Thailand. Although it traditionally blooms in spring, Southern California’s climate coaxes the plant (which can be cultivated both as a bush and as a tree) to achieve prolific blooms beginning in early November. Casa Romantica has large Golden Rain plants located just beyond the entrance to the Woodland Garden.
In addition to over a dozen main gardens and nearly two dozen smaller gardens, Casa Romantica’s historic home and galleries are open to the public daily for self-guided tours, with activities and events for children and adults happening onsite weekly. As a premier Southern California cultural center, Casa Romantica also has ticketed concerts, theater and performances, lectures, and films each month with artists from all over the country. Plan your visit: Go.CasaRomantica.org/Visit
About Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens maintains a robust series of year-round programs in arts, music, history, horticulture, and literature for all ages. Casa Romantica has commissioned several critically-acclaimed works, including Casa Classic: La Serva Padrona (2020; classical music), Casa Coastal: Murals of Levi Ponce (2019; visual art), Casa Theater: The Odd-Essy (2019; theater), Casa Kinetic: Culture Shock LA Hip Hop (2019; dance); Casa Coastal: The Art of Baja California (2018; visual art), Casa Theater: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018; theater), Casa Kinetic: Celebrating Tap Dance Legends (2018; dance), Casa Coastal: Rebecca Louise Law (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Contemporary Dance Collective (2017; contemporary dance), The Beauty of the Butterfly (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Carrie Lee Riggins (2016; contemporary dance), Casa Drama: Slings & Arrows (2015; theater), and Open Casa: The Photographs of Douglas Kirkland (2015; visual art). The 2020-21 Casa Captivating season includes an expanded dance (Casa Kinetic), theater (Casa Theater), and concert series (Casa Vibes), visual and performing arts commissions, and an expanded Casa Kids education program.
Casa Romantica also hosts a variety of free arts education programs for children year-round. The institution’s annual Casa Romantica Music Festival and Academy has received critical praise for its comprehensive two-week music studies program in cello, piano, viola, and violin. Casa Romantica also offers a Summer Dance Workshop, a Spring Break Arts Week, various art, literature, and horticulture events to grades K-12, and welcomes over 6,000 children from the Capistrano Unified School District each year for STEAM-based field trips that examine the history of San Clemente and the coastal environment.
Mission Statement: Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and is the historic home of the founder of the City of San Clemente. Casa Romantica provides programs for all ages in arts, music, history, and horticulture and is a premier Southern California cultural center.
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is located at 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, CA 92672. Hours: Tuesday—Thursday 11 am—4 pm; Friday—Sunday 10am—2pm; closed Mondays and holidays. General admission is $5; Casa Members and children under age 13 visit for FREE. For more information, call (949) 498-2139 or visit CasaRomantica.org
