• 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.
  • How many plant species does the garden feature?
    • The garden features more than 8,500 kinds of plants from around the world.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
    • 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
  • What makes the San Francisco Botanical Garden unique?
    • 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.
  • What plant collections can be found at the garden?
    • 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
    • The Cloud Forest collection includes:
      • Mesoamerican and Southeast Asian Cloud Forests
      • Andean Forests
    • 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.
  • 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.
    • 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
    • The Youth Education Program provides:
      • Opportunities for pre-school and school-aged children
      • Summer camps for groups and families
      • Internship and volunteer opportunities
    • Adult programs include:
      • Garden and birding tours
      • Hands-on workshops in botanical art
    • Garden Family Programs include:
      • Bean Sprouts Family Days
      • Library Story Times and Family Walks
      • Summer Reading Club
  • Where is the San Francisco Botanical Garden located?
    • The garden is located at 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA.
    • 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
  • Is there an admission fee?
    • Admission is free for members.
  • How can I learn more?

San Francisco Botanical Garden, 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122, Phone: 415-661-1316

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