San Francisco Botanical Garden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum |
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| Strybing Arboretum | |
San Francisco Botanical Garden
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| Type | Botanical garden |
| Location | Golden Gate Park |
| Area | 55 acres (22 ha) |
| Operated by | San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department |
| Visitors | Over 450,000 Annual Visits |
| Status | Open year round |
| Website | [1] |
The San Francisco Botanical Garden is a beautiful place to visit. It used to be called Strybing Arboretum. You can find it in San Francisco's famous Golden Gate Park.
This amazing garden covers 55 acres (about 22 hectares). It is home to nearly 9,000 different kinds of plants! These plants come from all over the world. The garden especially focuses on Magnolia trees, tall palms, cone-bearing trees (conifers), and plants from cloud forests. Cloud forests are special misty forests found in Central America, South America, and Southeast Asia.
Near the main entrance of the garden, you will find the San Francisco County Fair Building.
History of the Garden
Plans for this garden started a long time ago, in the 1880s. A park supervisor named John McLaren first thought of the idea. However, there wasn't enough money to start building it.
Things changed in 1927 when Helene Strybing left a large gift of money. This helped the garden finally begin! Planting started in 1937. Funds from the WPA and local donations helped too. The Arboretum officially opened its doors in May 1940.
The city of San Francisco manages the garden. It is part of Golden Gate Park. But a group called the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society also helps a lot. They run educational programs and manage volunteers. They also have staff who care for the plants.
The Society started in 1955. It used to be called the Strybing Arboretum Society. This group runs the Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture. They also have a Garden Bookstore and monthly plant sales. They offer many learning programs for kids and adults. The Society also raises money for new projects and to fix up the garden.
In 2004, the garden changed its name. It became the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. The Society also changed its name to match.
Explore Plant Collections
The garden is organized into many special areas. Each area has plants from different parts of the world. This helps you see how diverse plants can be!
- Mediterranean Climate Plants
- California Native plants
- John Muir Nature Trail
- Redwood Grove
- Plants from Chile
- Plants from South Africa
- Plants from Australia
- Plants from the Mediterranean Basin Region
- Mild-Temperate Climate Plants
- Plants from New Zealand
- Moon-viewing Garden, designed in a Japanese style
- Temperate Asia Garden
- Mountain Tropical Plants
- Mesoamerican Cloud Forest plants
- Southeast Asian Cloud Forest (still being developed)
- Andean Cloud Forest (still being developed)
- Special Collections
- Ancient Plant Garden
- Succulent Garden (plants that store water, like cacti)
- Dwarf Conifer Garden (small cone-bearing trees)
- Exhibition Garden
- Garden of Fragrance (plants that smell nice!)
- Zellerbach Garden of Perennials (plants that live for more than two years)
- Dry Mexico plants
- Rhododendron Garden
- Magnolias & Camellias (these beautiful flowers are found in many collections)
San Francisco has a mild Mediterranean climate. This weather is perfect for plants from many different places. The garden does not need greenhouses for plants that need other types of climates.
See also
In Spanish: Jardín botánico de San Francisco para niños
