Public Gardens Listing: San Francisco Botanical Garden (San Francisco, CA)
While balcony container gardeners enjoy their small-space urban gardens, sometimes a few container plants on an apartment balcony above a busy street just isn’t peaceful enough. Balcony gardeners might not be able to have a peaceful, large garden, but there are public gardens and arboretums near every major city. Don’t just fawn over pictures of luxurious gardens, get out there and enjoy a day at a public garden! You may even bring some gardening inspiration home to your own balcony container garden.
If you live in or are visiting the San Francisco, Calif., area, why not visit the Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Garden?
- The 55-acre San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly known as Strybing Arboretum) and officially opened in 1940. It has almost 50,000 plants and is one of the most diverse gardens in the world.
- The Mediterranean climate of the area and the San Francisco fog is ideal for many plants around the world, which is why it is host to so many different plant species.
- The San Francisco Botanical Garden’s well-known Magnolia collection is considered the most significant collection for conservation purpose outside of China.
- The gardens of the San Francisco Botanical Garden include the California Native Garden and Redwood Grove, Succulent Garden, Garden of Fragrance, Andean Cloud Forest and Chilean Garden, Mesoamerican and Southeast Asian Cloud Forests, Rhododendron Garden, Ancient Plant Garden, Moon Viewing Garden, Conifer collection and the Magnolia collection.
- The botanical garden has the most comprehensive collection of high elevation palms, some of which grow at an elevation of up to 11,000 feet in their native habitats.
- Use the Plant Finder on the San Francisco Botanical Garden website to search for a plant you’d like to see (including rare and endangered plants), and use the information listed to find the plant when you visit the garden. The website also lists what’s currently in bloom at the botanical garden.
- Check the Calendar of Events on the website to learn when plant sales, classes, activities and other events will occur.
San Francisco Botanical Garden Quick Info
sfbotanicalgarden.org
(415) 661-1316
Located in Golden Gate Park near the Japanese Tea Garden
$7 for adults, $5 for children aged 12 to 17 and seniors, and $2 for children 5 to 11 years old.
Open every day from 9am to 6pm in spring and summer and from 9am to 5pm in fall and winter.
