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Where is the San Francisco Botanical Garden located?
- Located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Botanical Garden, formerly known as the Strybing Arboretum, is a 55-acre botanical garden.
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How many plant species does the garden feature?
- The garden features more than 8,500 kinds of plants from around the world.
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What can visitors expect to see at the garden?
- The living museum in Golden Gate Park has both landscaped gardens and open spaces that are home to a diverse variety of species.
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Which plant species are a particular focus of the garden?
- The garden has a special focus on cloud forest species from Central and South America, and Southeast Asia, as well as high elevation palms and Magnolia species.
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What climatic conditions support the garden’s diverse flora?
- The mild temperatures, dry summers, wet winters, and San Francisco's famous coastal fog provide a broad range of climatic conditions that allow a particular range of flora to thrive.
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What is the history of the San Francisco Botanical Garden?
- Planning for the garden began in the 1880s by Park Supervisor John McClaren.
- Due to a lack of funds, planting only followed in 1937.
- The garden was officially opened to the public in 1940.
- It is managed by the city of San Francisco as part of Golden Gate Park.
- The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society was founded in 1955 to help manage the garden.
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The Society provides:
- Educational programs and experiences
- A range of professional and volunteer staff
- Management of the Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture
- Monthly plant sales and a bookstore
- Fundraising for new projects and garden renovations
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What makes the San Francisco Botanical Garden unique?
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The garden has a unique microclimate with:
- Dry summers
- Wet winters
- Mild temperatures year-round
- San Francisco’s famous coastal fog
- These conditions allow the garden to replicate high-elevation tropical cloud forests like those in Southeast Asia and Central and South America.
- The garden is well known for its significant botanical collections, including an extensive Magnolia collection.
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The garden has a unique microclimate with:
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What plant collections can be found at the garden?
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The gardens are organized into specialized collections, including:
- Mediterranean Garden
- Chilean Garden
- California Native Garden
- Redwood Grove
- Cape Province (South Africa) Garden
- Australian Garden
- Mediterranean Basin Region
- John Muir Nature Trail
- Moon-viewing Garden
- Takamine Garden
- New Zealand Garden
- Temperate Asia Garden
- Montane Tropic Garden
- Ancient Plant Garden
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The Cloud Forest collection includes:
- Mesoamerican and Southeast Asian Cloud Forests
- Andean Forests
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Additional collections include:
- Succulent Garden
- Dwarf Conifer Garden
- Exhibition Gardens
- The Garden of Fragrance, designed in 1965, was created for visitors with visual impairments, offering plants to enjoy through touch and smell.
- The garden features ambrosial flowers in beds made of stones from a 12th-century Spanish monastery.
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The gardens are organized into specialized collections, including:
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What educational opportunities does the garden offer?
- The San Francisco Botanical Garden offers a variety of educational programs to cultivate a bond between plants and people.
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Programs include:
- Adult botanical art workshops
- Learning and Community Engagement programs
- Interactive programs for children, such as Bean Sprouts Family Days in the Children's Garden
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The Youth Education Program provides:
- Opportunities for pre-school and school-aged children
- Summer camps for groups and families
- Internship and volunteer opportunities
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Adult programs include:
- Garden and birding tours
- Hands-on workshops in botanical art
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Garden Family Programs include:
- Bean Sprouts Family Days
- Library Story Times and Family Walks
- Summer Reading Club
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Where is the San Francisco Botanical Garden located?
- The garden is located at 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA.
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It has two entrances:
- Main Gate – at the corner of Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way
- Friend/North Gate – on MLK Jr. Drive off the Music Concourse
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Is there an admission fee?
- Admission is free for members.
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How can I learn more?
- Visit the San Francisco Botanical Garden website.
- Address: 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
- Phone: 415-661-1316
San Francisco Botanical Garden, 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122, Phone: 415-661-1316
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