Alice Keck Park Memorial
Garden: 1500 Block of Santa Barbara Street (Corner of Micheltorena Street),
Santa Barbara, CA 93102 (805)564-5437.
- A series of subtropical gardens set within a 4 1/2 acre
city park feature over 100 species of unusual flowering and shade trees,
palms adapted to the coastal climate, and a lovely koi and lily pond.
Arboretum and Gardens at California State University,
Fresno: 2351 E. Barstow Avenue,
Fresno, CA 94740-0088
(559)278-2373 (Grounds Manager).
- The 327 acre main campus of this university has been
designated an arboretum. Gardens include the Sneezeless Garden (for allergy
sufferers), the Peace Garden (with sculptures), a Rose Garden, and a
children 's garden (the Environments Playground).
Arlington Garden in Pasadena: 295 Arlington Drive,
Pasadena, CA 91105 (626)441-4478.
-
Pasadena's only public garden, this unique facility is a water-wise Mediterranean climate garden on
3+ acres in the heart of Pasadena, CA. The garden hosts over 350 native and low water using trees
and over 2,000 plants and features an Italian style olive allee, numerous succulent and cactus gardens, an
Arroyo Seco like pathway flanked by sycamores leading to a vernal pool, orange grove laid out in
grids like historical California orange groves, paths and benches set throughout plant communities,
and offers surprises around every corner.
Azalea
State Reserve: 15336 Highway 101,
Trinidad, CA
95570 (707)488-2041.
- This 30 acre reserve for the western azalea produces
clouds of fragrant pink and white blooms during the spring. Other plants of
the northern California coast are included in the self-guided nature walk.
Bakersfield Museum of Art:
Central Park, 1930 R Street,
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(805)323-7219.
- This museum 's grounds include camellia and rose gardens.
Balboa Park Gardens: 2125
Park Boulevard, Balboa Park,
San Diego, CA 92101
(619)2350-1103.
- This extraordinary 1,400 acre city
park in the
heart of the city is filled with museums and flowers. Gardens include the
Japanese Friendship Garden (see listing below), the Alcazar Garden (a formal
garden with boxwood hedges, fountains, and annuals, influenced by the
gardens of Alcazar Castle in Spain), the Botanical Building (a lath house
displaying 2,100 permanent tropical plants and changing seasonal flowers),
the Desert Garden (a 2.5 acre garden with 1,300 plants including succulents
and drought-resistant plants), the Old Cactus Garden (mature cacti and
succulents and exotic African and Australian Protea plants), the Marston
House Garden (a formal English Romantic-style garden), the Palm Canyon (2
acres with 450 palms of 58 species), the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose
Garden (an All-America Rose Selection garden with 2,400 rose bushes in 180
varieties), the San Diego Zoo Botanical Collection (see listing below), and
the Zoro Garden (a sunken garden with a stone grotto and butterfly garden).
Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden: 1201 Euclid Ave. (at Bay View Place),
Codornices Park,
Berkeley, CA 94708 (510)644-6530.
- A lovely semi-circular terraced garden, with graduated
colors, a pool at the center and a 220 foot redwood pergola at the top, is a
highlight of this charming garden with over 3000 plants.
Blake
Garden: 70 Rincon Road,
Kensington, CA 94707
(510)524-2449.
- The 11 acre garden surrounds the home of the UC Berkeley
President. The College of Environmental Design uses this garden as a
teaching garden. With spectacular views of San Francisco Bay, the garden is
anchored with perennials, water lilies, ponds.
California Living Museum:
10500 Alfred Harrell Highway,
Bakersfield, California
93306-9654 (805)872-CALM.
- CALM is a zoo, botanical garden, and natural history museum
all in one fascinating site, with over 200 native animals and over 2000
native plants.
Campovida: 13601 Old
River Road,
Hopland, CA 95449 (707)400-6300.
- This Mendicino County winery offers 5 acres of stunning
gardens with 7 theme gardens, all of which are organic, including a habitat
border, formal gardens, Mediterranean gardens, flower borders, and a wine
education garden. The gardens also incorporate edible fruits, berries, herbs
and vegetables.
Capitol Park:
1300 1st Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814 (916)324-0333.
- This lovely park features 40 acres of gardens including a
cactus and succulent garden and an All-America Rose Selections rose garden.
The Park is also the site for a proposed World Peace Rose Garden (see
listing below).
The Carter House:
301 L Street,
Eureka, California 95501 1(800)404-1390.
- This luxury inn displays an extensive organic kitchen
garden. Guests may help with the harvest, and the Master Gardener provides
lectures, seminars and tours.
Chinese Temple: 1500 Broderick Street,
Oroville,
CA 95965-4871 (530)538-2496.
- A Chinese Temple, built in 1863 to serve the Chinese
families in the area, includes a Chinese Garden with plants native to China.
College of the Desert
Arboretum: 43-500 Monterey Avenue,
Palm Desert, CA
92260 (626)776-7312.
Conservatory of
Flowers: Golden Gate Park, JFK Drive,
San Francisco,
CA 94118 (415)558-3973.
- A magnificent Victorian greenhouse with 11,000 square
feet under glass and 4,500 kinds of plants. Tropical plant collections
include begonias, gesneriads, bromeliads, orchids, aroids, carnivors, palms,
cycads and ferns. In addition to the permanent installations, seasonal
floral displays are featured year-round.
Crystal
Hermitage: 14618 Tyler Foote,
Nevada City, CA
95959 (530)478-7587.
- The gardens of this retreat center, offering views of the
Middle Yuba River valley, feature a wisteria colonade, pools, spring
flowering bulbs, summer perennials and annuals, hanging baskets, autumn
foliage color and camellias in the winter. The Mediterranean climate allows
a variety of lovely plantings.
Descanso Gardens: 1418
Descanso Drive,
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(626)952-4400.
- This 160 acre public garden, only twenty minutes from Los
Angeles, offers a Japanese Tea Garden, two camellia oak forests, a
California native plants garden, a fern canyon, a bird observatory and an
international rosarium.
Dunsmuir House and Gardens:
2960 Peralta Oaks Court,
Oakland, CA 94605
(510)615-5555.
- The Historic Estate showcases an opulent, 11,000 square
foot Colonial Revival mansion with formal gardens.
Earl Burns Miller
Japanese Garden: 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, California State University,
Long Beach, CA 90840 (562)985-8885.
- This enchanting 1 1/2 acre garden features stone
lanterns, 2 lion dogs, a pagoda, a hillside of azaleas, a lake with a black
pebble beach, a moon bridge, a zig zag bridge, a tea house, a white birch
woods, a dry garden, black-stemmed bamboo and koi fish.
Eddy Arboretum: Institute of Forest Genetics, 2480 Carson Road,
Placerville, CA 95667 (530)622-1225.
- The Arboretum, founded in 1927, specializes in pines
(70 varieties) as well as other native and exotic conifers. A self-guided
tour of the labeled plantings is offered.
Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden
Center: 1431 Waverley Street,
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650)329-1356.
- The 2.3 acre site showcases a historic home, a carriage
house, tea house, and three gardens. The formal gardens include an heirloom
rose garden, a weeping cherry allee and grotto, and a wisteria garden and
fountain. The woodland garden, in which the tea house is sited, displays
collections of hydrangeas, camellias, and Japanese maples. The demonstration
gardens exhibits annual and perennial beds, espaliered fruit trees, raised
beds for disabled access, and an iris border.
Elysian Park Arboretum: N. Broadway and Academy Road,
Los
Angeles, CA 90012.
- The Chavez Ravine Arboretum and botanical gardens were
first planted in 1893, making Elysian Park Los Angeles ' oldest park. The
Park has been threatened over the years with encroaching development, but
has an active Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park which has been active
in preserving and restoring the park. The web site has an inspiring story
about the woman who worked so diligently to save the park.
Exposition Park Rose Garden:
Another web
site. 701 State Drive,
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213)744-4772.
- This extensive formal rose garden is a 300 feet by 800
feet sunken quadrangle between the Natural History Museum, the Armory, and
the Exposition Building. With about two hundred cultivars in bloom each
season on 16,000 bushes, the garden is one of the largest and most
significant public display rose gardens in California. A fountain, pergolas,
sculpture and a lily pond also grace the premises.
Fairmont Park Rose Garden: 2601 Fairmont Boulevard,
Riverside, CA 92521 (951)826-2000.
Filoli Center: 86 Canada Road,
Woodside, CA 94062 (650)364-8300.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation has
preserved this lovely estate with a Georgian Revival mansion. The impressive
grounds presents a succession of elegant garden rooms.
Fountain Square Rose Garden: City Hall, 7115 Greenback Lane,
Citrus Heights, CA 95621(916)725-1585.
- This city park displays a lovely All-America Rose
Selections rose garden with 500 varieties and 1000 plants.
Forestiere Underground
Gardens: 5021 W. Shaw Avenue,
Fresno, CA
(559)271-0734.
- This remarkable garden was created when Baldasare
Forestiere started to carve out an underground retreat from the valley 's
heat and finished 40 years later with a complex of 50 underground rooms and
100 grottos, patios and garden courts. A wide variety of fruit and nut trees
grow there.
Friendship Garden at Brand Park: 1601 West Mountain St.,
Glendale, CA 91201 (818)548-2147.
Fullerton Arboretum:
1900 Associated Road,
Fullerton, CA 92831
(714)278-3579.
- The Fullerton Arboretum resides on twenty six acres
situated at the northeast corner of the campus at California State
University Fullerton. The extraordinary facility is divided into three
extensive collections: The Temperate Zone, The Tropical Zone, and the Arid
Zone. In addition, there are numerous cultivated plantings of interest and
beauty. The web page gives a fascinating glimpse into the many diverse
collections.
Ganna Walska Lotusland: 695
Ashley Road,
Santa Barbara, CA 93108 (805)969-3767.
- This special 37 acre exotic garden, created by Polish
opera singer Mme. Ganna Walska, features an outdoor theatre, a topiary
garden, a horticultural clock, a Neptune fountain, formal parteere and
hedged allees as well as collections of aloes, bromeliads, cacti and other
succulents, cycads, ferns, and palms.
Guadalupe River Park and Gardens:
715 Spring Street,
San Jose, CA 95110 (408)298-7657.
- In the process of development, the Gardens will add a
variety of new gardens to the now famous Heritage Rose Garden which displays
over 3,500 varieties of roses.
Greystone Park: 905 Loma Vista Drive,
Beverly Hills,
CA 90210 (310)550-4796 or (310)550-4654.
- This 18 acre public park, surrounding the Doheny Mansion,
offers formal gardens, a fountain, and a pool and inner courtyard. The
lovely setting is often featured in films (from Nixon to Ghosbusters II) and
still photography.
Hakone Estate
and Gardens: 21000 Big Basin Way,
Saratoga, CA
95070 (408)741-4994.
- A former estate modeled after the Fuji-Hakone National
Park, Hakone contains four Japanese gardens: the Hill and Pond Garden (for
strolling through wisteria and cherry blossoms), the Tea Garden (a quiet and
soothing walk to prepare for the tea ceremony), the Zen Garden (raked gravel
and stones) and the Kizuna-en (bamboo garden).
Hallberg
Butterfly Gardens: 8687 Oak Grove Avenue,
Sebastopol, California 95472 (707)823-3420
-
Open by appointment, this delightful garden is dedicated to preserving
and enhancing butterfly habitat and developing, through research and
application, guidelines for habitat gardening they follow and encourage others to adopt. Nestled among the apple orchards of Western Sonoma County, the Gardens cover nine acres of overgrown vines and thickets,
flowering pathways and meadows.
Hannah Carter
Japanese Garden at UCLA: 10619 Bellagio Road,
W. Los
Angeles, CA 90024 (310) 825-4574.
- An authentic Kyoto style garden showcases antique
carvings and structures including the main gate, a teahouse, a five-tiered
pagoda, a moon-viewing deck, a family shrine, and bridges. Major symbolic
rocks, water basins, and stone carvings were imported and the plantings are
native to Japan. Reservations are required.
Hearst San Simeon State
Historical Monument: Off California Highway 1,
San Simeon,
CA (800)444-4445.
- The Hearst Castle, a 137 foot Greek Revival Palace named
(in an sweeping understatement) Casa Grande, features 127 acres of
extravagant gardens, terraces, pools and guest houses.
Hortense Miller
Garden: c/o Laguna Beach Recreation and Social Service Dept., 505 Forest
Ave,
Laguna Beach, CA (949) 497-0716.
- This 2 1/2 acre hillside garden is located at a private
residence in a gated community and is open to special tours arranged two
weeks in advance. The more than 1,500 plant species include native ones such
as coastal sage, poppies and bouganvillas
Huntington Botanical
Gardens: 1151 Oxford Road,
San Marino, CA
91108 (626)405-2160.
- 150 acres of landscaped lawns with vistas, statues,
tempiettos, and benches surround the Huntington Art Galleries and Library.
Approximately 15,000 kinds of plants from all over the world are landscaped
into a series of theme gardens: the Japanese Garden, Desert Garden, the Rose
Garden, the Camellia Garden, the Palm Garden, the Subtropical Garden, the
Jungle Garden, the Lily Ponds, the Herb Garden, the Australian Garden and
the Shakespeare Garden.
Japanese Friendship
Garden: Balboa Park, 2125 Park Boulevard,
San Diego,
CA 92101 (619)232-2780.
- A brand new garden featuring a Tea Pavillion, a dry
garden, a koi pond and waterfall, exhibit house and activity center. The web
site has wonderful pictures of construction progress and plans, as well as a
detailed exposition on the philosophy and symbolism of Japanese Gardens.
Japanese Friendship Garden: Kelley Park, 1300 Senter Road,
San Jose, CA 95112 (408)277-2757.
- Patterned after the Korakuen Garden in Okayama, this
serene garden features streams, waterfalls, a koi pond (with 600 koi),
bridges, fountains, peach trees, and a Japanese Tea House.
Japanese Tea Garden: East 5th and El Camino,
San Mateo,
CA 94403 650)522-7409.
- Designed by Nagao Sakurai of the Imperial Palace of
Tokyo, this serene garden showcases a granite pagoda, a teahouse, lanterns,
and bamboo groves, seasonal blooms and rare plants that touch the shore of
the large cental koi pond.
John Muir National Historic Site: 4202 Alhambra Avenue,
Martinez, CA 94553 (925)228-8860.
- This 8.8 acre park preserves the Victorian residence of
John Muir, a famous conservationist, and its grapes and fruit and nut trees.
A self-guided tours of the house, orchards and a nature trail on Mt. Wanda
are available.
Jurupa Mountains
Discovery Center:
7621 Granite Hill Drive,
Riverside, CA 92509
(951)685-5818.
- Formerly the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center. A large sunken garden beautifies the site of this Earth
Science Museum and Archeological Area and yes, there are dinosaurs - 7 of
them.
Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens: 9675 Scranton Road,
Sorrento Mesa, CA 92121 (858)587-2739.
- This brew-pub restaurant features 5 1/2 acres of oriental
gardens with bridges and a koi pond.
Kimberly Crest House and
Gardens: 1325 Prospect Drive,
Redlands, CA
92373-7049 (909)792-2111.
- This Victorian era chateau is surrounded by terraced
Italian gardens, orange groves and ponds, a wisteria arbor, and fountains.
Kruse Rhododendron
State Reserve: Near milepost 43 on Highway 1 (Adjacent to Salt Point State
Park),
Plantation, CA 95421 (707)847-3286.
- The site of an old forest fire has been transformed into
317 acres of rhododendron and second-growth redwood, Douglas fir, and tan
oak.
Lakeside Park Garden Center and Demonstration Gardens: 666 Bellevue Avenue,
Oakland, CA 94610 (510)238-4718.
- The Garden Center is surrounded by theme gardens,
including Japanese, rhododendron, fuchsia, cactus, lily herb, iris, palm,
fire escape, city, vegetable, compost and herb gardens and a koi pond.
Landscapes Southern
California Style: 450 Alessandro Boulevard,
Riverside,
CA 92508 (909)780-4177.
- This garden, a one acre water conservation demonstration
garden created through a joint effort of the University of California
Cooperative Extension and the Western Municipal Water District, showcases
more than 200 species of plants in a natural setting and the irrigation
systems that contribute to water efficiency. 50 education stations let
visitors in on the secrets to this lovely landscape.
Living
Desert Wildlife and Botanical Gardens: 47-900 Portola Avenue,
Palm Desert, CA 92260-6156 (760)346-5694.
- A 1,200 acre interpretive center whose motto is "Like a Zoo,
Only Better". In addition to mountain lions, wolves, javelina, bobcats,
golden eagles and much more in a natural setting, there are botanical
gardens.
Los Angeles County Arboretum and
Botanic Garden: 301 N. Baldwin Avenue,
Arcadia,
CA 91007 (626)821-3222.
- Peacocks, waterfalls, tram rides! Not your usual
arboretum fare, but then this is a special arboretum. The 127 acre garden,
benefitted by the California Arboretum
Foundation, is filled with lush gardens. a citrus grove, an avacado
orchard, a South American collection, a fig grove, a tropical greenhouse, a
rose garden, a garden for all seasons and much more.
Luther Burbank Home and
Gardens: Santa Rosa and Sonoma Avenues, P.O. Box 1678,
Santa Rosa, CA 95402 (707)524-5445.
- On this garden site, from 1884 until his death in 1926,
Luther Burbank conducted his famous plant-breeding experiments. This Santa
Rosa public park offers special collections featuring plants developed by
Luther Burbank and thousands of exotic plants including a Rose Garden, a
Cutting Garden, a Victorian Garden, an Insect Attracting Garden, a
Bird/Butterfly Attracting Garden, a Drought Tolerant Garden, a Water Garden,
and a Home Orchard and Vegetable Garden, as well as a 1889 Greenhouse and a
Museum.
Luther Burbank's
Gold Ridge Experiment Farm: 7781 Bodega Avenue,
Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707)829-6711.
- Enjoy a tour around the farm used by famed botanist
Luther Burbank or a virtual tour at this
school web site.
M. Young Botanic Garden: 14178 W. Kearney,
Kerman, CA 93630 (207)846-7881.
Marin Art and Garden Center: 30
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard,
Ross, CA 94957
(415)454-5597.
- Towering oaks, woodland shrubs, signature trees, and a
memorial garden grace the premises of this community Art Center.
Marin
County Civic Center: 3501 Civic Center Drive,
San
Rafael, CA 94903-4189 (415)499-6104.
- This Frank Lloyd Wright landmark building includes a
conservation garden of native plants on the fourth floor (you read that
correctly). For those who like their gardens in more traditional places,
there is a patio fountain and pond.
Markham
Regional Arboretum: 1202 La Vista Avenue off Clayton Road,
Concord, CA 94521 (925)681-2968.
- This sixteen-acre nature park focuses on plants native
to California and other Mediterranean climates. A natural stream, a rose
garden, and an herb garden also grace this urban park. A 3.5 acre arboretum
and international garden with wisteria arbor is under development.
Mary
Balen Zaninovich Memorial Rose Garden: 31381 Pond Road,
McFarland, CA 93250 (661)792-3151.
- An All-America Rose Selections garden.
McKinley Park Rose Garden: H Street near 33rd Street,
Sacramento, CA 95816 (916)277-6060.
- This 1.5 acre All-America Rose Selections garden displays
1,000 rose bushes, tree roses and blooming annuals.
Mendocino Coast Botanical
Gardens: 18220 N. Highway One,
Fort Bragg, CA
95437 (707)964-4352.
- The 47 acre of lush plantings flourish in the mild
maritime climate provided by the Gardens' ocean setting. Features include a
Perennial Garden, a Woodland Garden, a Tender Rhododendrons Garden, a
Heritage Rose Garden, coastal bluffs with flowers, a Heather Garden, a
Dahlia Garden, a Vegetable Garden, the Fern Canyon, the North Forest, a
Camellia Collection, a Display House, and the Pacifica Iris Collection.
Mildred E. Mathias Botanical
Garden: Tiverton Avenue (near Hospital Emergency Center), University of
California at Los Angeles,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(310)825-1260.
- Over 5000 species in 225 families from all over the world
thrive in this seven-acre garden.
Mission Historical Park and A.
C. Postal Memorial Rose Garden: 2201 Laguna Street,
Santa
Barbara, CA 93105 (805)564-5418.
- The grounds of this historic mission display an
All-America Rose Selections garden with over 1,500 bushes plus native and
early California plant gardens.
Morcom Rose Garden: (formerly Morcom Amphitheater of Roses), 700 Jean
Street,
Oakland, CA 94612 (510)238-7418.
- Set in 8 acres of picturesque gardens, terraces,
fountains, reflecting pools and Mediterranean architecture are the backdrop
for more than 500 All-American rose selections and a collection of historic
hybrid teas from the 1920's to the 1950's.
Moorten
Botanical Garden/Cactarium: 1701 So. Palm Canyon Drive,
Palm Springs, CA 92264 (760)327-6555.
- This Garden specializes in desert flora, with more than
3,000 species of desert plants from around the world, but also serves as a
sanctuary to birds. Nature trails, giant cacti, trees, succulents and
flowers all contribute to the magic of this garden.
Mourning Cloak Ranch
and Botanical Gardens: 22101 Old Town Road,
Tehachapi,
CA 93561 (661)822-1661.
- Named after an attractive butterfly found in the area,
the Ranch offers tree-shaded gardens with over 2,200 species from the world
over, labeled for visitors who wander the meandering paths. Take time to see
the carriage collection, also.
Naval Training Center: Point Loma,
San Diego, CA 92147 (619)553-8330.
- This military base offers a restored rose garden.
New Guinea
Sculpture Garden: Lomita Drive and Santa Teresa St. (near Bechtel
International Center), Stanford University,
Stanford,
CA 94305-2145 (650)695-8845.
- Ten master sculptors from New Guinea and a team of
American and New Guinean landscape architects collaborated to create this
unique and stunning garden located in an oak and cedar grove on the Stanford
Campus.
Niguel Botanical
Preserve: 29751 Crown Valley Parkway, Crown Valley Community Park,
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 (949)425-5126.
- This 16 acre preserve within a city park displays native
plants and plants from countries that share Southern California’s dry
climate.
Niles Rose Garden: Niles Boulevard at Nursery
Boulevard,
Fremont, CA (510)790-5503.
Old Mission Santa
Ines: 1760 Mission Drive, P.O. Box 408,
Solvang,
CA 93464 (805)688-4815.
- The nineteenth of the twenty-one Franciscan Missions in
California, this operating historic mission has beautifully landscaped
grounds and gardens in addition to interesting relics. The web site has a
slide tour so vivid you can almost feel the California sunshine.
Olivas Adobe Historic Park:
4200 Olivas Park Drive,
Ventura, CA 93003
(805)658-4728.
- This 22 acre public park includes a historical herb
garden.
Otto and Sons
Nursery: 1835 East Guiberson Road,
Fillmore, CA
93015 (805)524-2123.
- This 12 acre commercial nursery displays 50,000 roses of
over 450 varieties.
Overfelt Gardens Park: 1776 Educational Park Drive,
San
Jose, CA 95133-1703 (408)251-3323.
- Overfelt Gardens, a tranquil public park with trees,
shrubs, flowering plants and a pond, is also home to the Chinese Cultural
Gardens. The Chinese Gardens are enhanced by a 30 foot bronze and marble
statue of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius overlooking a reflecting
pond and an ornamental Friendship Gate.
Pacific Asia
Museum: 46 N. Los Robles Avenue,
Pasadena, CA
91101 (626)449-2742.
- The Chinese courtyard garden aims to bring a deeper
understanding of nature into one's heart and home to impart serenity and
induce contemplation. The elegant formal design includes a koi pond.
Pageant of Roses Garden:
Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3900 Workman Mill Road,
Whittier,
CA 91748 (323)699-0921.
- Rose Hills Memorial Park, perhaps the largest cemetery in
the world, eschews the usual statuary and tombstones (most markers are flush
to the ground), and instead features a Japanese Garden, the famous Pageant
of Roses Garden with over 600 varieties of roses, topiary, and decorative
chapels.
Quail Botanical Gardens:
P.O. Box 230005, 230 Quail Garden Drive,
Encinitas, CA
92023 (760)436-3036.
- Twenty-four gardens at this impressive site include the Walled
Garden, the Victorian Gazebo, a Bamboo Garden (with one of the largest
collections in the world), the Old Fashioned Garden, the Canary Islands
Garden, the Old World Desert Garden, the New World Desert Garden, the Pan
Tropical/Tropical Rainforest Exhibit, the Pacific Collection, California
Natives Garden, the Herb Garden, demonstration gardens, and, for those who
have seen every other kind of garden, a fire safety garden.
Quarryhill Botanical Garden:
P.O. Box 232,
Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (707)996-3166.
- Located on a 20-acre hillside, this Garden collects and
grows seed of rare and unusual plants from Asia -- primarily China and Tibet
-- to determine their potential as landscape plants. It presently has 10,000
plants from over 300 genera. Please note: Visits to the garden are by
appointment only.
Rancho Los Alamitos
Historic Ranch and Gardens: 6400 E. Bixby Hill Road,
Long Beach, CA 90815-4706 (562)431-3541.
- The gardens of this beautiful historical 7.5 acre ranch
are divided into eleven areas including a native garden and a rose garden
and are praised for their understated elegance.
Rancho Los Cerritos
Museum: 4600 N. Virginia Road,
Long Beach, CA
90807 (562)570-1755.
- The large Monterey-style adobe ranch home is surrounded
by lovely gardens, landscaped by Ralph Cornell, and include historic roses,
trees dating from the mid 1800's, an old water tower, exotic plants and an
herb garden.
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden:
1500 North College Avenue,
Claremont, CA 91711-3157
(909)625-8767 or (909)626-7670.
- Located at an elevation of 1,350 feet on the outwash
plain of the San Gabriel Mountains, the 86-acre Garden is laid out in three
areas: Indian Hill Mesa ( the Southern Riparian Woodland, the California
Cultivar Garden, the Basketry Trail, the Oak Woodland Trail, and the Home
Demonstration Garden), the East Alluvial Gardens (the Desert Garden, the
Coastal Dune, the California Channel Islands collections and the California
Fan Palm Oasis), and the Plant Communities display. Large Coast Live Oaks,
several hundred years old and native to the site, populate the slope between
the Mesa and alluvial areas of the Garden.
Redding Arboretum by the River:
800 Auditorium Drive,
Redding, CA 96099-2360
(530)243-8850.
- Now known as Turtle Bay Museums and Arboretum on the
River, Redding Arboretum is a 200 acre oak savannah, wetlands and riparian
habitat. In the future, the arboretum will feature 30 to 40 acres of
intensively developed gardens with regional native plants, shrubs, and
trees, as well as specialty gardens such as wedding, kitchen, wildflower,
restoration, native and herb.
Rengstorff House: Shoreline
Park, 3070 N. Shoreline Blvd.,
Mountain View, CA 94043
(650)903-6392.
- Description of garden. The grounds of this restored
Italianate house feature lawns, beautiful gardens with year-round blooming
flowers and spacious brick patios.
Regional
Parks Botanic Garden: Tilden Regional Park, Wildcat Canyon Road and South
Park Drive,
Berkeley, CA 94708 (510)562-7275.
- The ten acre garden is organized into ten major
California climate areas for an educational as well as enjoyable display of
plants from all over California. Special collections of wild lilacs,
manzanitas, bunchgrasses and aquatics highlight the exhibits.
Ruth Bancroft Garden,
Inc.:(office) 1 Avis Court,
Orinda, CA
94563-3627 (925)254-0875.
- A
Garden
Conservancy garden. The garden began as a single succulent planted in a
three acre orchard of dying walnut trees and increased from there to an
outstanding collection of dry climate plants, including aloes, agaves,
yuccas, and echeverias. Garden address is not advertised because the garden
is open by appointment only.
San Diego Zoo: 2920 Zoo
Drive,
San Diego, CA 92103 (619)234-3153.
- San Diego Zoo Botanical Collection is an accredited
botanical garden with over 6,000 species of plants. Collections include
orchids, cycads, fig trees, palms, and coral trees. Whimsical animal
topiaries are featured throughout the Zoo. Naturalistic animal exhibits are
heavily planted and resemble the animals' native habitats while other
plants, such as bamboo, eucalyptus, acacia, and hibiscus, are grown for
animal food.
San Jose Heritage Rose
Garden: Spring and Taylor Streets,
San Jose, CA
(408)298-7657.
- More than 3,400 varieties of heritage, modern and
miniature roses are displayed in concentric rings in this celebration of
roses, maintained by dedicated volunteers.
San
Jose Municipal Rose Garden: Dana Ave. and 1500 Naglee Avenue,
San
Jose, CA (408)277-2735.
- Surrounded by redwood trees and green lawns, this
exquisite 5 1/2 acre garden is devoted exclusively to roses. It features
over 4,000 rose shrubs with 189 varieties represented. Hybrid teas comprise
75 percent of the plantings, while climbers, miniatures, floribundas,
grandifloras, and polyanthas are also displayed in a lovely setting with a
reflecting pool and fountains.
San Luis Obispo
Botanical Garden: El Chorro Regional Park (5 miles north of San Luis Obispo
on Highway 1), P.O. Box 4957,
San Luis Obispo, CA
93403 (805)546-3501.
- Now you can visit the attractive preview garden
displaying an assortment of plants from Mediterranean climates, but in the
future you will be delighted with 150 acres of extensive plant collections
and research facilities.
Santa Ana Zoo:
Prentice Park, 1801 East Chestnut Avenue,
Santa Ana,
CA 92701 (714)835-7484, (714)836-4000.
- This 20 acre zoo includes the Main Zoo (primarily primates),
Colors of the Amazon (Amazon plants and animals), the Amazon's Edge
(recreation the the Amazon River banks), the Rain Forest (tropical
vegetation and animals), Life in the Treetops, the African Aviary, the
Australian Yard, the South American Yard, the Endangered Species Exhibit and
the Children's Zoo.
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden:
1212 Mission Canyon Road,
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805)682-4726.
- Located on 65 acres in historic Mission Canyon, the Santa
Barbara Botanic Garden features over 1,000 species of rare and indigenous
California plants organized into habitat areas such as Redwood, Meadow, and
Desert sections, or representing a specific genus of plants, such as the
Manzanita and Ceanothus Sections. Perennial borders, the Home Demonstration
Garden, and the groundcover display bed demonstrate the ornamental use of
water-conserving plants.
Santa Barbara Zoological
Gardens: 500 Ninos Drive (Off Carillo Boulevard),
Santa
Barbara, CA 93103-3759 (805)963-5695.
- Over 700 fabulous animals from prairie dogs to elephants
populate this hilltop pink stucco former mansion now one of America's finest
zoos. Two narrow gauge zoo trains travels through lush foliage along the 1
1/3 mile track with views of toucans, white-handed gibbons, birango giraffes
and a bird refuge.
Sherman Library and Gardens:
2647 East Coast Highway,
Corona del Mar, CA 92625
(949)673-2261.
- The Sherman Library and Gardens, covering a city block, emphasizes
a full palette of garden color. More than 1000 species and over 200 genera
from desert regions to tropical zones are displayed the gardens including a
Cactus and Succulent Garden, a Discovery Garden and a Rose Garden.
Shinn
Historical Park and Arboretum: 1251 Peralta Boulevard,
Fremont, CA
94536-4016 (510)791-4340.
- A 4.5 acre
City of Fremont Park surrounds the Shinn House with landscaped grounds
featuring unusual specimen trees.
Shinzen Japanese
Garden: Woodward Park Japanese Garden, P.O. Box 16178 (Adjacent to Freeway
41),
Fresno, CA 93755-6178 (559)226-8034.
- This 5 acre friendship garden features a tea house, koi
pond, double moon bridge (for double good luck) and six other bridges, and
is divided into a spring section (Taira Ume Grove, Camellia Garden and Lake
Viewing Vista, and Eddie Ronquillo Meditation Vista) a summer section (Bog
Island Garden, Alice Standeford Azumaya and a Dry Stream), an autumn section
(Tembo Dai and Meditative Knoll area) and a winter section (Waterfall and
Stream views).
Sierra Azul Nursery: 2660
East Lake Avenue (Highway 152),
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 763-0939.
- A 2 acre retail nursery with display gardens featuring
"Mediterranean Mounds" of plants chosen to thrive in dry climates. Watch for
the hummingbirds!
Sonoma Horticultural Nursery:
3970 Azalea Avenue,
Sebastopol, CA 95472
(707)823-6832.
- A retail nursery with over 1200 rhododendrons and 600
azaleas in a display garden that also features a pond, a woodland walk,
camellias, flowering dogwood viburnum, clematis, tree peonies and variegated
underplantings.
South Coast
Botanic Garden: 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard,
Palos Verdes
Pennisula, CA (310)544-6815.
- With a little magic, frogs can become princes, as this lovely 87 acre garden
atop an old landfill demonstrates. The plant collections (150,000 plants,
140 families, 700 genera and 2000 species) showcase a variety of plant
materials providing attractive textures, shapes, and color throughout the
year. Gardens include the Volunteer Garden (flower, vegetable, bulb and
cactus gardens), the Color Garden, the James J. White Rose Garden (an
All-America Rose Selections garden), the Nursery, the Plant Collections and
the Garden of the Senses. It took more than a kiss, but this garden, if not
a miracle, is a true inspiration.
Strybing Arboretum and Botanical
Gardens: Golden Gate Park, Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way,
San Francisco, CA 94122 (415)661-1316.
- Located on 55 acres in Gold Gate Park, the Strybing
contains a wealth of luxuriant gardens. In addition to three climate gardens
(the Mediterranean Climate Gardens, the Temperate and Mild Temperate
Gardens, the Montane Climate Tropical Gardens) there are a host of specialty
gardens (Entry Garden, Library Courtyard, Demonstration Gardens, Rock
Garden, Takamine Garden, James Nobel Dwarf Conifer Garden, New World Cloud
Forest, South Africa, California Native Plants, Redwood Nature Trail,
Southern and Western Australia, Eric Walther Succulent Garden, Perennials
from Mexico, California Children's Garden, Old World Cloud Forest,
Moon-Viewing Garden, Jennie B. Zellerbach Garden of Perennials, Chile, New
Zealand, Eastern Australia, Primitive Plant Garden, Heidelburg Hill and
Magnolias, Biblical Garden, and Garden of Fragrance).
Tournament House and Wrigley Gardens: 391 South Orange Grove Boulevard,
Pasadena, CA 91184 (626)449-4100.
- The Italian Renaissance mansion, once home to William
Wrigley Jr., is headquarters for the Tournament of Roses Association. Three
gardens, including an English style All-America Rose Selections garden,
display 2,000 rose bushes of over 100 varieties.
Turtle Bay Museums and Arboretum on the River: See
Redding Museum above.
University of
California Davis Arboretum: University of California, One Shields Avenue
(Postal), LaRue Avenue (Headquarters),
Davis, CA
95616 (530)752-2498.
- This lovely 100 acre public arboretum displays over
4000 different kinds of plants. Located on both sides of Putah Creek, it
specializes in plants that thrive in the Mediterranean climate. The
collections are arranged in successive gardens: the Mary Wattis Brown Garden
of California Native Plants, the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden (perennials and
shrubs), the Carolee Shields White Flower Garden (based on medieval
moon-viewing gardens), the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove, the The Mediterranean
Section, the Weier Redwood Grove, the North Coast Area, the California
Foothill Section, the Desert Station and more.
University of
California Irvine Arboretum and Gene Bank: Near Intersection of Jamboree
Road and Campus Drive, North Campus, UC Irvine,
Irvine,
CA 92697 (949)824-5833.
- In addition to its work propagating more than 200
species of endangered plants, this 14-acre garden Arboretum and research
facility features extensive collections of South African plants (includings
thousands of bulbs), a native plant collection, a butterfly garden, a
wildflower garden, orchids, and a perennial garden.
University of
California Botanical Garden: 200 Centennial Drive,
Berkeley, CA 94720-5045 (510)643-2755.
- Located on 34 acres in Strawberry Canyon above the
Berkeley campus overlooking the San Francisco Bay, the Garden exhibits over
13,000 species of plants from the entire world arranged by region, with the
5 more heavily represented families being the Cactus family, (2,669), Lily
family (1,193), Sunflower family (1,151), Heath family (897), and Orchid
family (950). Special collections include Chinese medicinal herbs, plants of
economic importance, Old Rose cultivars, and California native plants, as
well as greenhouses and a rainforest house.
University of California
Santa Cruz Arboretum: 1156 High Street,
Santa Cruz,
CA 95064 (831)427-2998.
- The gardens of this important arboretum arranged by
region include collections of plants from Australia, California, South
Africa, and New Zealand. Other gardens include the Eucalyptus Grove, the
Aroma Garden, Conifers, Primitive Flowering Plants, Rare Fruit Exhibit, the
Laurasian Forest, the Cactus and Succulent Garden, the South American
Section and the Natives Come First Garden.
University of California
Riverside Botanic Garden:
Riverside , CA
92521-0124 (909)787-4650.
- This 39-acre living plant museum displays more than 3,500
plant species in the microclimates provided by the Garden's variable
terrain. Special collections include California Deserts, Baja, Australian,
Latin American, and South African plants, as well as cacti, cycads, herbs,
irises, lilacs, roses, shade-loving plants (in a geodesic dome lathhouse),
and rare subtropical fruits. As a bonus the visitor can watch for the almost
200 bird species have been officially observed or wander on the four miles
of scenic trails.
Villa Montalvo Center for
the Arts: 15400 Montalvo Road,
Saratoga, CA 95071
(408)961-5800.
- A 175 acre public park surrounds the Mediterranean-style
Villa, now an art, literature, architecture and music center, in the
foothills of the Santa Cruiz mountains.
Virginia
Robinson Gardens: 1008 Elden Way,
Beverly Hills,
CA 90210 (310)276-5367.
- The estate of one of the first homes in Beverly Hills,
this public park displays six acres of hillside gardens featuring exotic
tropical and subtropical plants. Special displays include a unique palm
grove, camellias, azaleas, and a variety of unusual trees. Brick paths
connected terraced patio gardens with fountains and ponds.
Wasco Rose Garden: 1280 Papler,
Wasco, CA
- In the heart of a rose growing area, this garden displays
over 1,500 rose bushes.
Watts
Senior Citizen Center Rose Garden: 1657 East Century Boulevard,
Los Angeles, CA 90002.
- An All-America Rose Selections garden.
Western Hills Nursery:
16250 Coleman Valley Road,
Occidental, CA 95465 (707)
874-3731.
- The three acres of this lovely commercial nursery display
garden are covered with rare and unusual plants from temperate areas of the
world. Throughout the year, approximately 1,600 different kinds of plants
are available. Meandering gravel paths lead to a large water-lily pond, a
beautiful bog garden, banks of giant flaxes, euphorbias and gorgeous agaves
in full flower.
Westminster Rose Garden: Civic Center, 8200 Westminster Avenue,
Westminster, CA 92683 (714)895-2860.
- Located at the Westminster Civic Center is this AARS
display garden with 1520 plants and 170 varieties.
William
Joseph McInnes Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum: Mills College, 5000
McArthur Boulevard,
Oakland, CA 94613-1301
(415)430-2158 or 1-800-87-MILLS.
- This wooded campus features a botanical garden that is
available for student research and independent study.
World Peace Rose Garden: Capitol Park, 1300 1st Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814 (800)205-1223.
Wrigley Memorial
and Botanical Gardens: Avalon Canyon Road, P.O. 2739,
Avalon, CA 90704(310)510-2595.
- The memorial is to William Wrigley Jr., of chewing gum
fame, for his work in beautifying Catalina Island. The 38 acres of Gardens,
in keeping with his interests, specialize in plants of Catalina and other
California islands, including many rare and endangered plants.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts:
Esplanade Gardens: Mission Street between 3rd and 4th,
San
Francisco, CA (415) 543-1718.
- These dramatic gardens include a Butterfly Garden, Oche
Wat Te Ou/Reflection (a tribute to the native Ohlone Indians), the Sister
Cities Garden (with plants from San Francisco’s 13 sister cities), the East
Garden (a synergism of Eastern and Western ideas), the Rooftop Gardens, a
Memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., and sculpture. See the Garden Photo
Feature.