An Oasis of Bloom: San Francisco Botanical Garden

Golden Gate Park is an achievement, as everyone will agree. One of its many treasures is the cleverly laid-out 55-acre San Francisco Botanical Garden, which contains continents within its narrow boundaries.

On February 3rd, 2017, the public television channel KQED held a special day for members to come and preview the nearly 100 magnificent magnolia tree varieties normally in bloom this time of year. When the Botanical Garden opened in 1940, its exotic cup-and-saucer magnolia was the first of its kind in the Unted States--it drew crowds of visitors--and it's still in the garden today.





However, as everyone in northern California knows, after years of drought, the winter of 2016 was the rainiest on record for over 200 years! The result: the gigantic pink, purple and white lemon-scented blossoms on the trees bloomed two-to-three weeks ahead of schedule, leaving us visitors to content ourselves with fiery rhododendrons, luscious camellias and the hundreds of other amazing plants the master gardeners at the botanical garden have managed to coax from the sandy soil. Here are just a few:

A superb succulent garden

The redwood grove is a personal favorite

You can sign up for the Botanical Garden's e-newsletter on their website to be informed about what's in bloom and when.

Upcoming: wild flowers are in bloom April through June, and pianists play to entertain among the plantings in the July "Flower Piano" event. The garden is free to San Francisco residents, and $8 for adults. Special events and tours require an extra fee.