The Tilden Regional Parks Botanical Garden is a great place to see West Coast native flora at its best
found in 1940 and located within Tilden Park in the canyon above Berkeley , California , a dotty , 10 - Akko botanical garden awaits your discovery . make to service as a living museum of California ’s vastly diversenative plants , theTilden Regional Parks Botanical Gardenis vestal joy . mile of rambling trails pay for you to explore the 10 beautifully landscaped division , each one planted up with a unparalleled collection representative of each one of California ’s most distinctive regions . Because the web site is influenced by both inland waterlessness and coastal fog and is comprised ofslopesfacing every direction potential , an exceptionally diverse range of plant species — many of them threatened , rarified , or endangered — thrives here .
A unnerving patch of prickly pear native to dry areas is telling .
Chatterberry ( Arctostaphylosnummularia , Zones 8–9 ) is native to Mendocino County .
California native plant species abound at the Regional Parks Botanical Garden
You ’ll observe species that hail from the High Sierras and the coastal four flush , from the rain forests in the north to the deserts in the southerly part of the state . The garden hold towering redwoods ( Sequoia sempervirens , Zones 7–9 ) , most of California ’s conifers and oak ( Quercusspp . , Zones 8–10 ) , aboriginal bulbs , succulents , ferns , perennials and annuals , plus an outstanding appeal of California lilacs ( Ceanothusspp . , Zones 8–10 ) and manzanitas ( Arctostaphylosspp . , Zones 8–10 ) . Flowers blossom throughout the twelvemonth ( with the peak display occurring from spring through midsummer ) , while fall and winter bring colorfulfoliageand ripen berries . A bonus is the delightful Wildcat Creek scarper through the gardens , providing habitat and water supply for mammals , shuttlecock , and insects and is the perfect environs for native streamside and aquatic plant to acquire .
westerly redbud turn over peak bloom in early leap , and that display is followed by the unfurling of unripe , heart - shaped leaves .
Enjoy an inviting judiciary under a canopy of pink - bloom currant .
The Regional Parks Botanical Garden is an educational resource for California native-plant enthusiasts
A sojourn to the Regional Parks Botanical Garden , which isopen to the publicyear - troll , is always rewarding . hebdomadary plant and seed sales are on Mondays and Wednesdays and on the first Saturday of each month . The botanic garden ’s classes , battlefield trips , online courses , and shop are suspend until drop of 2022 due to on-going COVID concerns . But a stroll through the garden offer the plant lover plenty of learning chance . You ’ll learn not just about the item-by-item plant themselves and how to develop them , but also about their natural habitats . Additionally , the preservation work being done at the garden and the horticultural experimentation there ( which hopefully will result in the introduction of new native - works cultivar to California gardeners ) is fascinating .
From the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California comes white - felted paintbrush ( Castilleja hololeuca , zone 8–11 ) .
Henderson ’s dash star ( Dodecatheon hendersonii , Zones 5–7 ) is a outflow bungle from Santa Clara County .
lucullan leather - foliage fern ( Polypodium scouleri , Zones 8–9 ) hail from Santa Cruz County .
Spring is a great time to experience a plethora of blooms at the Regional Parks Botanical Garden
I pass a spring morning at the Regional Parks Botanical Garden and really enjoyed every minute . A works lover ca n’t help but appreciate the pendulous blooms of a pink - flowering currant ( Ribessanguineumvar.glutinosum , Zones 8–10 ) , the huskiness of Western waspish pear tree ( Opuntiaspp . , Zones 8–11 ) , the lushness of the legion leafy perennial andferns , and the multifariousness of the ( all - blooming ) manzanitas and California lilacs . I was fascinate by the plants from the Channel Islands and especially delighted by a chunk of Contra Costa County ’s own aboriginal trillium , the colorful giant wake robin redbreast ( Trilliumchloropetalum , Zones 8–11 ) . A Western redbud ( Cercisoccidentalis , Zones 6–9 ) in full efflorescence was a magic sight , but one of my favorite vignettes involved a cluster of diminutive lily-livered redwood violet ( Violasempervirens , Zones 6–9 ) blooming at the base of a massive sequoia tree . It ’s a wonderful place to visit , and I am convinced that I will be enchant by even more beauty and blooms next time I visit this bona fide California aboriginal - plant treasure trove .
— Fionuala Campion is the owner and handler of Cottage Gardens of Petaluma in Petaluma , California .
exposure : Fionuala Campion
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At the Tilden Regional Parks Botanical Garden, you’ll find many native plants from Humboldt County in the northern part of California—such as these giant redwoods and tiny redwood violets.
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A formidable patch of prickly pears native to dry areas is impressive.
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Chatterberry (Arctostaphylosnummularia, Zones 8–9) is native to Mendocino County.
Western redbud reaches peak bloom in early spring, and that display is followed by the unfurling of green, heart-shaped leaves.
Enjoy an inviting bench under a canopy of pink-flowering currant.
From the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California comes white-felted paintbrush (Castilleja hololeuca, Zones 8–11).
Henderson’s shooting star (Dodecatheon hendersonii, Zones 5–7) is a spring bloomer from Santa Clara County.
Lush leather-leaf ferns (Polypodium scouleri, Zones 8–9) hail from Santa Cruz County.
