California Gardens
Alice Keck Park
Memorial Garden: 1500 Block of Santa Barbara Street (Corner of
Micheltorena
Street), Santa Barbara, CA 93102 (805)564-5437.
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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. |
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Arboretum
and Gardens at California State University, Fresno: 2351 E.
Barstow Avenue, Fresno,
CA 94740-0088 (559)278-2373 (Grounds
Manager).
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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). |
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Arboretum
of Los Angeles County: 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, CA
91007 (626)821-3222.
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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. |
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Azalea
State Reserve: 15336 Highway 101, Trinidad, CA 95570
(707)488-2041.
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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. |
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Bakersfield Museum of Art: Central Park, 1930 R Street,
Bakersfield, CA 93301 (805)323-7219.
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This
museum's grounds include camellia and rose gardens. |
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Balboa Park Gardens: 2125 Park Boulevard, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
92101
(619)2350-1103.
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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). |
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Berkeley
Municipal Rose Garden: 1201 Euclid Ave. (at Bay View Place),
Codornices Park,
Berkeley, CA 94708 (510)644-6530.
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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. |
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Blake
Garden: 70 Rincon Road, Kensington, CA 94707
(650)-524-2449.
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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. |
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California
Living Museum: 10500 Alfred Harrell Highway, Bakersfield,
California 93306-9654
(805)872-CALM.
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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, |
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Capitol
Park: 1300 1st Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916)324-0333.
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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). |
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The Carter House: 301 L Street, Eureka, California 95501 1-800-404-1390
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This
luxury inn displays an extensive organic kitchen garden.
Guests may help with the harvest, and the Master
Gardener provides lectures, seminars and tours.
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Chinese
Temple: 1500 Broderick Street, Oroville, CA 95965-4871
(530)538-2496.
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A
Chinese Temple, built in 1863 to serve the Chinese
families in the area, includes a Chinese Garden with
plants native to China. |
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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.
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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. |
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Crystal
Hermitage: 14618 Tyler Foote, Nevada City, CA 95959
(530)478-7587.
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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. |
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Descanso Gardens: 1418
Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011 (626)952-4400.
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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. |
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Dunsmuir House and Gardens
: 2960 Peralta Oaks Court,
Oakland, CA 94605 (510)615-5555.
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The
Historic Estate showcases an opulent, 11,000 square foot
Colonial Revival mansion with formal gardens. |
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Earl Burns Miller
Japanese Garden: 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, California State
University, Long
Beach, CA 90840 (562)985-8885.
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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. |
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Eddy Arboretum: Institute of Forest Genetics, 2480 Carson Road,
Placerville, CA
95667 (530)622-1225.
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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. |
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Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden
Center: 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650)329-1356.
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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. |
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Elysian Park
Arboretum: N. Broadway and Academy Road, Los Angeles, CA
90012.
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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. |
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Exposition
Park Rose Garden:
Another
web site. 701 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213)744-4772.
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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. |
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Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary: 1702 E. Fairhaven
Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714)633-1442.
Fairmont Park Rose Garden: 2601 Fairmont Boulevard, Riverside,
CA 92521 (951)826-2000.
Fetzer
Vineyards Garden: 13601 Eastside Road, Hopland, CA 95449
(707)744-7444 or
(800)846-8637.
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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. |
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Filoli Center: 86 Canada
Road, Woodside, CA 94062 (650)364-8300.
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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. |
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Fountain Square Rose Garden: City Hall, 7115 Greenback Lane,
Citrus Heights, CA 95621(916)725-1585.
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This
city park displays a lovely All-America Rose Selections
rose garden. |
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Forestiere Underground Gardens: 5021 W. Shaw Avenue,
Fresno, CA (559)271-0734.
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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. |
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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.
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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. |
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Ganna Walska
Lotusland: 695 Ashley Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
(805)969-3767. An
article
from Smithsonian Magazine.
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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. An
article from Smithsonian Magazine describes the
garden as well as the remarkable woman behind it.
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Guadalupe River Park and Gardens:
715 Spring Street, San Jose, CA 95110 (408)298-7657.
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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. |
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Greystone Park: 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills,
CA 90210 (310)550-4796 or (310)550-4654.
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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. |
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Hakone
Gardens: 21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
(408)741-4994.
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A
former estated 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). |
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Hannah
Carter Japanese Garden at UCLA: 10619 Bellagio Road, W. Los
Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 825-4574.
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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.
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Harland Hand Garden
Memorial Garden: El Cerrito, CA 94530.
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A
private garden open by appointment only, the 1/2 acre
hillside garden with 180 degree views of San Francisco
Bay features over 3000 varieties of rare plants
displayed among concrete granite-like outcroppings and
21 ponds. Contact: handgarden@earthlink.net |
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Hearst San Simeon State
Historical Monument: Off California Highway 1, San Simeon,
CA
(800)444-4445.
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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. |
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Hortense
Miller Garden: c/o Laguna Beach Recreation and Social Service
Dept., 505 Forest Ave,
Laguna Beach, CA (949) 497-0716.
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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. |
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Huntington Botanical Gardens:
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 (626)405-2160.
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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. |
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Japanese Friendship Garden:
Balboa Park, 2125 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101
(619)232-2780.
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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. |
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Japanese
Friendship Garden: Kelley Park, 1300 Senter Road, San Jose,
CA 95112 (408)277-2757.
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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. |
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Japanese
Tea Garden: East 5th and El Camino, San Mateo, CA 94403
650)522-7409.
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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. |
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John Muir National Historic Site: 4202 Alhambra Avenue,
Martinez, CA 94553 (925)228-8860.
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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.
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Jurupa Mountains Cultural
Center: 7621 Granite Hill Drive, Riverside, CA 92509
(909)685-5818.
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A large
sunken garden beautifies the site of this Earth Science
Museum and Archeological Area and yes, there are
dinosaurs - 7 of them. |
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Karl Strauss
Brewery Gardens: 9675 Scranton Road, Sorrento Mesa, CA
92121 (858)587-2739.
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This
brew-pub restaurant features 5 1/2 acres of oriental
gardens with bridges and a koi pond. |
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Kimberly Crest House and
Gardens: 1325 Prospect Drive, Redlands, CA 92373-7049
(909)792-2111.
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This
Victorian era chateau is surrounded by terraced Italian
gardens, orange groves and ponds, a wisteria arbor, and
fountains. |
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Kruse
Rhododendron State Reserve: Near milepost 43 on Highway 1
(Adjacent to Salt Point State
Park), Plantation , CA 95421
(707)847-3286.
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The
site of an old forest fire has been transformed into 317
acres of rhododendron and second-growth redwood, Douglas
fir, and tan oak. |
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Lakeside Park Garden Center and Demonstration Gardens: 666
Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, CA
94610 (510)238-4718.
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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. |
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Landscapes Southern California
Style: 450 Alessandro Boulevard, Riverside, CA 92508
(909)780-4177.
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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. |
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Living
Desert Wildlife and Botanical Gardens: 47-900 Portola Avenue,
Palm Desert, CA 92260-
6156 (760)346-5694.
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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.
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Luther Burbank Home and
Gardens: Santa Rosa and Sonoma Avenues, P.O. Box 1678, Santa
Rosa, CA 95402 (707)524-5445.
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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. |
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Luther Burbank's
Gold Ridge Experiment Farm: 7781 Bodega Avenue, Sebastopol,
CA 95472
(707)829-6711.
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Enjoy a
tour around the farm used by famed botanist Luther
Burbank or a virtual tour at this
school web site. |
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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.
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Towering oaks, woodland shrubs, signature trees, and a
memorial garden grace the premises of this community Art
Center. |
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Marin
County Civic Center: 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael,
CA 94903-4189 (415)499-6104.
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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. |
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Markham
Regional Arboretum:
West end of La Vista Avenue off Clayton
Road, Concord, CA 94521
(925)681-1551 or (510)486-1550.
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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.
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Mary Balen Zaninovich Memorial Rose Garden: 31381 Pond Road,
McFarland, CA 93250 (661)792-3151.
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An
All-America Rose Selections garden. |
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McKinley
Park Rose Garden: H Street near 33rd Street, Sacramento,
CA 95816 (916)277-6060.
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This
1.5 acre All-America Rose Selections garden displays
1,000 rose bushes, tree roses and blooming annuals.
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Mendocino Coast Botanical
Gardens: 18220 N. Highway One, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
(707)964-4352.
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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. |
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Mildred
E. Mathias Botanical Garden: Tiverton Avenue (near Hospital
Emergency Center), University
of California at Los Angeles, Los
Angeles, CA 90095 (310)825-1260.
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Over
5000 species in 225 families from all over the world
thrive in this seven-acre garden. |
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Mission Historical
Park and A. C. Postal Memorial Rose Garden: 2201 Laguna Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805)564-5418.
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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.
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Morcom
Rose Garden: (formerly Morcom Amphitheater of Roses), 700 Jean Street, Oakland, CA
94612 (510)238-7418.
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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. |
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Moorten Botanical Garden/Cactarium: 1701 So. Palm Canyon
Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264
(760)327-6555.
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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. |
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Mourning
Cloak Ranch and Botanical Gardens: 22101 Old Town Road,
Tehachapi, CA 93561
(661)822-1661.
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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. |
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Naval Training Center: Point Loma, San Diego, CA 92147
(619)553-8330.
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This
military base offers a restored rose garden.
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New Guinea
Sculpture Garden: Lomita Drive and Santa Teresa St. (near
Bechtel International
Center), Stanford University, Stanford, CA
94305-2145 (650)695-8845.
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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. |
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Niguel Botanical Preserve: 29751 Crown Valley Parkway, Crown
Valley Community Park, Laguna
Niguel, CA 92677 (949)425-5126.
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This 16
acre preserve within a city park displays native plants
and plants from countries that share Southern
California’s dry climate. |
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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.
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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.
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Olivas
Adobe Historic Park: 4200 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura, CA
93003 (805)658-4728.
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This 22
acre public park includes a historical herb garden. |
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Otto &
Sons Nursery: 1835 East Guiberson Road, Fillmore, CA
93015 (805)524-2123.
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This 12
acre commercial nursery displays 50,000 roses of over
450 varieties. |
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Overfelt
Gardens Park: 1776 Educational Park Drive, San Jose, CA
95133-1703 (408)251-3323.
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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.
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Pacific Asia Museum:
46 N. Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626)449-2742.
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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. |
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Pageant of Roses Garden: Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3900 Workman
Mill Road, Whittier, CA 91748 (323)699-0921.
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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. |
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Quail Botanical Gardens:
P.O. Box 230005, 230 Quail Garden Drive, Encinitas, CA 92023
(760)436-3036. A
photo
tour.
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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. |
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Quarryhill Botanical Garden:
P.O. Box 232, Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (707)996-3166.
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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. The Sacramento Bee web site contains an
interesting
article about the work of Quarryhill. Visits to the
garden are by appointment only, sorry to say.
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Rancho
Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens: 6400 E. Bixby Hill Road,
Long Beach, CA 90815-4706
(562)431-3541.
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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. |
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Rancho Los
Cerritos Museum: 4600 N. Virginia Road, Long Beach, CA
90807 (562)570-1755.
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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.
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Rancho Santa Ana
Botanic Garden: 1500 North College Avenue, Claremont, CA
91711-3157
(909)625-8767
or (909)626-7670.
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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. |
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Redding Arboretum by the
River: 800 Auditorium Drive, Redding, CA 96099-2360
(530)243-8850.
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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. |
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Rengstorff
House: Shoreline Park, 3070 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View,
CA 94043
(650)903-6392.
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Description of garden. The grounds of this restored
Italianate house feature lawns, beautiful gardens with
year-round blooming flowers and spacious brick patios.
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Regional Parks
Botanic Garden: Tilden Regional Park, Wildcat Canyon Road and
South Park Drive,
Berkeley, CA 94708 (510)562-7275.
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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. |
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Ruth Bancroft Garden,
Inc.: (Office) 1 Avis Court, Orinda, CA 94563-3627
(925)254-0875.
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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. |
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San Diego Zoo:
2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego, CA 92103 (619)234-3153.
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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. |
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San
Jose Heritage Rose Garden: Spring and Taylor Streets, San
Jose, CA (408)298-7657.
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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. |
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San
Jose Municipal Rose Garden: Dana Ave. and Naglee, San Jose
, CA (408)277-5561.
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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. |
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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.
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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.
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Santa Ana Zoo:
Prentice Park, 1801 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714)835-7484 (4
(714)836-4000.
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This 20
acre 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. |
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Santa Barbara Botanic Garden:
1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805)682-4726.
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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. |
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Santa Barbara
Zoological Gardens: 500 Ninos Drive (Off Carillo Boulevard),
Santa Barbara, CA
93103-3759 (805)963-5695.
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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. |
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Sherman
Library and Gardens: 2647 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar,
CA 92625
(949)673-2261. A
photo tour.
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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. |
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Shinn Historical Park and Arboretum: 1251 Peralta Boulevard,
Fremont, CA 94536-4016
(510)791-4340.
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A 4.5
acre
City of Fremont Park surrounds the Shinn House with
landscaped grounds featuring unusual specimen trees.
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Shinzen Japanese
Garden: Woodward Park Japanese Garden, P.O. Box 16178 (Adjacent
to
Freeway 41), Fresno, CA 93755-6178 (559)226-8034.
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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
Edddie 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). |
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Sierra Azul Nursery: 2660 East Lake Avenue (Highway 152),
Watsonville, CA 95076 (831) 763-0939.
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A 2
acre retail nursery with display gardens featuring
"Mediterranean Mounds" of plants chosen to thrive in dry
climates. Watch for the hummingbirds! |
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Sonoma Horticultural Nursery: 3970 Azalea Avenue,
Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707)823-6832.
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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. |
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South
Coast Botanic Garden: 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes
Pennisula, CA
(310)544-6815.
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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. |
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Strybing Arboretum & Botanical
Gardens: Golden Gate Park, Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way, San
Francisco, CA 94122 (415)661-1316.
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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). |
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Sunset Publishing Corporation Gardens: 80 Willow Road,
Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650)321-3600.
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This
corporate headquarters features fascinating gardens
arranged by climate zones. Gardens include the Northwest
(including woodland plants and rhododendrons), Northern
California (redwoods, oaks, and drought- and
shade-tolerant plants), Central California (coastal
plants and heat-tolerant plants), the Southwest Desert
and Southern California (cacti, succulents and
drought-tolerant perennials), the Butterfly Garden and
the Test Garden (evaluating plants, etc.). |
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Tournament
House and Wrigley Gardens: 391 South Orange Grove Boulevard,
Pasadena, CA
91184 (626)449-4100.
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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. |
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Turtle Bay Museums & 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.
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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. |
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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.
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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 |
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University of
California Botanical Garden: 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley,
CA 94720-5045
(510)643-2755.
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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. |
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University of California
Santa Cruz Arboretum: 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA
95064
(831)427-2998.
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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. |
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University
of California Riverside Botanic Garden: Riverside , CA
92521-0124 (909)787-4650.
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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. |
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Villa
Montalvo Center for the Arts: 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga,
CA 95071 (408)961-5800.
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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.
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Virginia
Robinson Gardens: 1008 Elden Way, Beverly Hills, CA
90210 (310)276-5367.
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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. |
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Wasco Rose Garden: 1280 Papler, Wasco, CA
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In the
heart of a rose growing area, this garden displays over
1,500 rose bushes. |
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Watts Senior Citizen Center Rose Garden: 1657 East Century
Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90002.
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An
All-America Rose Selections garden. |
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Western Hills Nursery: 16250 Coleman Valley Road,
Occidental, CA 95465 (707) 874-3731.
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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.
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Westminster Rose Garden: Civic Center, 8200 Westminster
Avenue, Westminster, CA 92683
(714)895-2860.
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Located at
the Westminster Civic Center is this AARS display garden
with 1520 plants and 170 varieties.
Another website. |
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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.
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This
wooded campus features a botanical garden that is
available for student research and independent study. |
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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.
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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. |
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Yerba Buena
Center for the Arts: Esplanade Gardens: Mission Street between
3rd and 4th, San
Francisco, CA (415) 543-1718.
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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. |
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