With so many botanical and horticultural blockbusters to view in Southern California, how does a committee choose which to include for the APGA 2008 pre conference tours? Easy. Let APGA (The Academy?) members vote. An exhaustive list of choices was presented to conference attendees at the 2007 meeting. Over 150 surveys were returned and that response from members ultimately led to the "thumbs up" choices for the 2008 pre-conference tours.

And the winners are? The envelope please...

The "Sideways" tour to Santa Barbara environs. This two-day tour has us visiting varied member institutions, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Ganna Walska Lotusland, and the historic Casa del Herrero estate. Traveling further north to the coastal valley of Lompoc, we will visit renowned commercial flower production fields. Seed harvested in Lompoc Valley are sold all over the world. Still in Lompoc but a world away from commercial flower fields is the Burton Mesa Chaparral Reserve home to some of California's rarest plants. Then we participate in a quintessential part of California, living history at La Purisima Mission and historic gardens. Lastly, we leisurely tour Sanford Winery, one of the 70 world-class wineries in the region made famous by the movie "Sideways." Finish off the day watching the sun set and wine-tasting of the Pinot Noir and other regional wines while enjoying a special catered dinner at the winery.

Twenty-six miles west of LA is Catalina Island and destination for an exciting day-trip. Thanks to Catalina's proximity to Hollywood, and its spectacular geography, the island has appeared in hundreds of movies including the Clark Gable, Charles Laughton version of Mutiny on the Bounty. Hopefully our passage across the channel on the ferry will not be as dramatic! Guided by the Catalina Island Conservancy staff, we will get the behind-the-scenes tour of the Conservancy's work to protect and restore the island's spectacular landscapes and unique wildlife. We will also visit the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden overlooking Avalon Bay. The island's temperate marine climate makes it possible to showcase plants from every corner of the world. But the Garden places special interest on California island endemic plants. Many of these plants are extremely rare. Our group will dine in one of the island's famous restaurants before returning to the mainland.

If a boat trip is not for you, one can choose to go in the opposite direction, east, for a day-trip to California's spectacular desert communities. We will visit the world famous Living Desert garden and zoo, an institution dedicated solely to interpreting and conserving the deserts of the world. We will lunch at an oasis preserve - yes a real oasis - where the Washingtonia palm oases and associated sand dunes of the Colorado Desert are set aside to protect sensitive plants and the endangered Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard. The later part of the day will be spent touring the immense and infinitely variable Joshua Tree National Park. Here two desert ecosystems, primarily determined by elevation, come together in the park. Below 3000 feet, the Colorado Desert (part of the Sonoran Desert) occupies the eastern half of the park. If winter rains are good, this area will have bountiful displays of wildflowers. The higher, slightly cooler and wetter Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the undisciplined Joshua tree, extensive stands of which occur throughout the western half of the Park. The group will finish up the day with dinner at the historic Twenty Nine Palms Inn.

You may choose to stay in the LA area for one of the day-trips being offered. The most dramatic views of the city are from the two Getty Museums - The Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu. At both sites, the architecture and gardens are as dramatic as the significant art collections contained within the museums.

The Getty Center gardens were created by renowned artist Robert Irwin, includes a tree-lined central garden that transverses a cascading stream and takes visitors through an extraordinary experience of sights, sounds and scents. Gardens are also an integral part of the Getty Villa in Malibu. The formal gardens of the Inner and Outer Peristyles feature views of open spaces, sculptures, fountains, lush plantings of trees, herbs and flowers and a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean.

Further south along the Coast is the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

(Interestingly, from the Getty Center one can gaze across the LA Basin to the Palos Verdes Peninsula). Here, the day is spent visiting several gardens and historic sites. South Coast Botanic Garden is an astonishingly beautiful collection of plants and gardens arising atop a landfill. Only in LA can that happen! We will also visit a private estate garden on the Peninsula, lunch at Pt. Fermin overlooking the Pacific (and not far from the film location of Pirates of the Caribbean). The later part of the day will be spent touring the historic Ranchos, adobe homes and gardens, of Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos. This back-to-the-future experience, we engage participants in the rich history of Spanish, Mexican and American California style gardens of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Stay in Los Angeles for a day-trip. Two of the great cemeteries of the world, the Hollywood Forever and Holy Cross cemeteries, could have been conceived by a Cecil B. DeMille or a D.W. Griffith background to several epic Hollywood films. Inside, there are small Greek, Roman and Egyptian temples; and beautiful lawns, lakes, majestic palms, grottos and gardens. The place is serene and at the same time Hollywood is everywhere. MGM and Paramount studios are a headstone's throw away, and "six feet under" are a plethora of Hollywood stars. The day also includes a walking tour of a revitalized downtown with Disney Hall, Our Lady of Angels Cathedral, the Bradbury Building (prominent Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic, Blade Runner) art museums, galleries, vibrant ethnic communities, people friendly pocket parks and a roof-top garden on a world class hotel where we will have dinner.

The half-day trips have us staying close to "home" (hotel Ritz Carlton) in Pasadena. Visit estate gardens of Pasadena including the Wrigley Mansion, now home to another mainstay of Southern California, the Tournament of Roses. Another trip will take participants to the rugged San Gabriel Mountains on a botanical expedition; and yet another to visit the Los Angeles River. The River has starred in enough feature films (Remember the drag race in the 1978 "Grease" with John Travolta?), television shows and commercials, it has become a tourist attraction in and of itself. But we will visit the stewardship sites - the pocket parks, habitat restoration, art installations and watershed improvements that now bring fame to this once maligned attraction.

So, join us for one or more of these Oscar-winning trips! We guarantee the "red carpet' treatment. All trips are film-worthy so make sure cameras and video recorders or charged!