Welcome to Foliage Finder, where Curbed takes a look at public and private landscape projects around the Bay Area. Gardens will be chosen at random, but do drop us a line if you'd like to see a certain area featured.Manicured gardens not really your thing? If a bit of chaos and natural beauty is what you're after, we recommend heading to the native section of Golden Gate Park's San Francisco Botantical Garden. The garden's wildflowers are about to undergo their annual spring explosion of color.
What's So Great About This Garden? Each spring, wildflowers bloom across Northern California, and the best place to see this all in one space is right in San Francisco. The Botanical Garden has 8,000 different kinds of plants that come from all over the world, including from our own backyard. The plants cover more than 55 acres, and the garden has won awards for its conservation and design.
How Much Will It Cost Me? The SF Botanical Garden costs between $2 and $7 (depending on your age), but there are quite a few freebie opportunities with this public space, including every day from 7:30-9am, the second Tuesday of every month, and certain holidays. Locals also get in for free.
Why Visit Now? You'd be remiss to not take this once-a-year opportunity to watch our native flowers go wild. California's state flower, the poppy, is also called "dormidera," meaning "the sleepy one." Poppies close their petals towards the evening, so the best time to see them is bright and early in the morning. The wildflower meadows at the park are spectacular at this time of year, so keep an eye out for the famous coastal irises, lilacs, and wild plants such as the ceanothus and the flannel bush. Don't go without mapping out a few superstars on the garden's helpful guide.
Extra Extra: In honor of bloom season 2014, the garden is offering all kinds of unique and exciting programs, such as moonlight walks, a "wild crafted" cocktail soiree, and carnivorous plant terrarium workshops.
· California Native Wildflower Images [SF Botanical Garden Personal Site]
· Course Catalog [SF Botanical Garden Personal Site]
· SF Botanical Garden [Official Site]
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