Datebook LA - Cool things to do this week

So many fabulous things to do this week - you'll have to call in "well"!  Check out these great events and tours courtesy of the LA Times.  See the mention of the Pasadena Heritage Wallace Neff House Tour on Sunday the 27th.  Sponsored by deasy/penner & partners with none other than myself there.  Come visit us at our table for special surprises...

March 24: Kenneth J. Hammond, professor of history at New Mexico State University, lectures on “The Peonies of Luoyang: Images of the Literati Garden.” 7:30 p.m. Free. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. No reservations required. (626) 405-2100.

March 24: Descanso Gardens’ native plant horticulturist Rachel Young discusses research, including new information on plant nutrition, pests and beneficial fungi. Part of the Lili Singer lecture series. 9:30 a.m. to noon. $20. Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. (626) 821-4623.

March 25: An opening reception featuring the work of resident artists includes hundreds of handmade mugs and bowls, most $15 to $50. Reception is from 6 to 9 p.m., and the display will run to April 30. Clayhouse Studio & Gallery, 2909 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 828-7071.

March 25-27: The flagship Tomatomania sale showcases more than 300 varieties of heirlooms and hybrid tomato seedlings. New this year: a dark purple cherry called Haley's Purple Comet and new green tomatoes such as Chile Verde, Green Doctors and Tasty Evergreen. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days. Tapia Brothers Farm Stand, 5251 Hayvenhurst Ave., Encino.

March 26: The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers & Native Plants’ annual spring sale includes hundreds of species and cultivars, priced 15% for members and 10% off for nonmembers. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley. (818) 768-1802.

March 26: The NoHo Rockin’ Food Truck Fest & Flea Market includes 15 food trucks, live music and comedy, art and craft vendors, raffle prizes and dogs adoptions. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $5. Main lot next to 11458 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood.

March 26: The West Adams Heritage Assn. presents its annual Art in Historic Places Tour, a self-guided look at artists who live in the area’s mix of century-old homes, Craftsman bungalows and Spanish villas. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $25 in advance; $30 day of tour. (323) 732-4223;tours@westadamsheritage.org.

March 26-27: The California Bonsai Society presents its 54th annual show, featuring more than 100 specimens created by bonsai masters. Traditional trees such as Japanese black pine and California juniper are displayed alongside examples of nontraditional bonsai. 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days. Free. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. (626) 405-2100.

March 27: Pasadena Heritage presents the Legacy of Wallace Neff, a tour of eight properties ranging from modest bungalows to grand mansions. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. $34 to $37 in advance, $40 day of tour. (626) 441-6333.

March 27: The Ocean View Farms community garden holds its 7th annual TomatoBration. Hundreds of tomato varieties for sale, lecture and Q&A with Windrose Farm expert Barbara Spencer. Sale begins at 8 a.m., and plants are expected to sell out around noon. 3300 Centinela Ave. E-maileducationchair@oceanviewfarms.net.

March 27: The American Institute of Architects’ Los Angeles chapter organizes a self-guided tour of a Hollywood Hills canyon home designed by Assembledge, a Brentwood home by Cory Buckner Architects, a Bel-Air contemporary by Rick Leslie and a modernist home by Studio Pali Fekete Architects. $65 to $75. (213) 639-0777; e-mail info@aialosangeles.org.

ONGOING

Ackerman, Aguiñiga: “A Marriage of Craft and Design: The Work of Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman” includes examples of ceramics, tile mosaics, wood carvings, textiles and other crafts from the Culver City couple. “Crossing the Line: A Space by Tanya Aguiñiga,” is a site-specific structure made by the artist best known for felted furniture. Ends May 8. $5 to $7. Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 937-4230.

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

Technology and design: Architecture and Design Museum of Los Angeles exhibition “Soupergreen” explores the way that technology can promote architecture and the environment. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends April 14. $2 to $5. 6032 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 932-9393.

Wexler show: “Steel and Shade: The Architecture of Donald Wexler” is a survey of drawings, photographs and models by the noted architect. They are augmented by professional photographs and new models fabricated by Cal Poly students, including a full-scale sectional steel model illustrating the prefabrication system that Wexler used in his steel houses. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Ends May 29. $5 to $12.50. Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs.(760) 322-4800.

Be there but please don't be square.