JULY 5
Rancho gardens:Rancho Los Cerritos hosts a guided tour of the grounds, including exotic plants, fruit trees and ornamentals. Some trees on the historic 27,000-acre site date to the 1840s, when owner John Temple started the garden. 2:30 p.m. 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach. Free. Reservations: (562) 570-1755.
JULY 7
Plant class:Arboretum botanist Frank McDonough covers various landscaping and gardening topics. 1 to 3 p.m. Also scheduled for Aug. 4 and Sept. 1. Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. $3. (626) 821-4623; www.arboretum.org.
Native butterflies:Connie Vadheim will discuss butterfly gardening as part of the series "Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden." Water-wise native plants that attract butterflies will be featured. Classes include a walk in the Madrona Native Plant Gardens. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Repeats 10 a.m. to noon July 11. Madrona Marsh Nature Center, 3201 Plaza Del Amo, Torrance. Free. (310-782-3989.
JULY 8
Viticulture class:Adam Baldwin, a wine buyer and specialist for Whole Foods Market, gives an overview of growing grapes and making wine and will explain widely used (and misunderstood) wine industry terms and concepts. Instructor-led tasting included. This class is divided into two parts: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 8 and 15. Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. $48 to $60. (818) 949-4200.
Organic gardening:Landscape designer John Lyons leads a six-week series covering the gardening process, from composting to harvesting. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. $289. To register: www.earthmatters.biz.
JULY 9
Garden talk:Specialist gardener Jeff Karsner, whose playful approach to horticulture can be seen in the children's landscape at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, will give a slide lecture on how to bring whimsy into the landscape. 2:30 p.m. A plant sale will follow the program. Friends' Hall, the Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Free. (626) 405-2100.
Live-work panel:The Urban Land Institute holds a discussion on live-work housing. Speakers include Alex Moradi, developer of the Pacific Electric Lofts; Hamid Behdad, adaptive reuse expert; Karin Liljegren, director of live-work housing for the architecture firm Killefer Flammang; and Jim White, sales and marketing consultant. 7:30 to 9 a.m. Pacific Electric Lofts, 610 S. Main St., Los Angeles. $50. (213) 213-2245.
Tea roses:
