Best Botanical Garden Sunnyvale Near Me

4worldlovers:
Established in 2003, this 7300 square foot garden has two distinct areas - the 'Edible' Garden and the Water Wise Garden. The former demonstrates edible landscaping using a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and flowers, while the latter showcases beautiful landscaping with native and low water plants.


Directions: The Palo Alto Demonstration Garden (PADG) is located at Eleanor Pardee Community Gardens, on Center Drive near Martin Street.


The 'Edible' Garden is open to the public during our weekly workdays (Monday 9 am—12 noon and Friday 9 am—11 am, weather permitting) and when events are scheduled. The garden may be viewed over the fence when not open.


Open Garden Days: Both gardens are open and staffed by Master Gardeners every Saturday morning, 10 am to noon, from May through September (weather permitting). It is an opportunity for the public to explore the edible and ornamental gardens, ask questions, and get plant and garden advice.

We welcome community volunteers during visiting hours to work and learn side-by-side with us.

The enclosed area for edible plantings covers one-half of the PADG area. This area was once a bare-earth parking area for city vehicles. The garden displays innovative approaches to edible landscaping, with seasonally appropriate vegetable and fruit selections. It includes in-ground and raised bed areas, a wheelchair accessible (easy access) bed, container plantings (including self-watering systems), a composting area, and worm bins. The food we grow is donated to the Palo Alto Downtown Food Closet.

This garden combines fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, and flowers to create an aesthetically pleasing design. Flowering plants attract beneficial insects. Drip irrigation promotes water efficiency. Exhibiting a set of horticultural "best practices" for home gardens, the beds illustrate the use of proper soil preparation, seasonal cover cropping, seeding, planting, trellising, staking, plant protection, and efficient irrigation practices as well as a variety of vegetable choices.

The Water Wise Garden (always open to the public) demonstrates how native California and Mediterranean climate plants can be used to create a beautiful, low water, natural garden. Once established, the plants in this garden require a minimum of supplemental summer water and provide food and shelter for beneficial insects, butterflies, and birds. The diversity of plants and the presence of beneficial insects keep the garden healthy without the use of pesticides. The mulch on the beds helps reduce water evaporation and breaks down slowly releasing nutrients for the plants.

On mulched pathways, visitors can meander among six areas and enjoy the huge variety of plants. Each of the beds has its own distinct plant groupings as well as common plants that tie the garden together. For example, one of the areas demonstrates low-water lawn alternatives (native mow-free grass blend, kurapia, blue fescue, dymondia, and wooly thyme), and another bed is planted only with California natives growing under Oaks.

4worldlovers: This garden is a memorial to St. Clare of Assisi (c. 1193-1253), religious mystic and follower of apostolic poverty, spiritual friend of St. Francis, and the first woman in Western Europe to compose a rule of religious life for women.


The garden contains plants arranged in five main groups to portray the stages of Clare's life.

Girlhood: Medicinal and Household herbs commonly used during Clare's time (PDF)

Conversion: Lavender Garden, a symbol of purification, surrounding a basin, a symbol of baptism and conversion (PDF)

Spiritual Life: Mary Garden, flowering plants traditionally associated with the Virgin Mary and Jesus (PDF)

The garden was installed at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, in 2003, the 750th anniversary of the death of St. Clare. Funds for the construction of the garden were donated by Bill Nicholson and his family in memory of Ruth Nicholson.

4worldlovers:
The Arizona Garden is a historical garden in the process of renovation and preservation. It is located on the south side of the mausoleum off of Quarry Road between Campus Drive and Arboretum Road. The garden, also known as the Cactus Garden, was designed for Jane and Leland Stanford by landscape architect Rudolf Ulrich between 1881 and 1883. During the early years of the university, the Cactus Garden became the meeting place for many courting Stanford students.

There are many unusual plants within the garden. Selections from the Cacti family include columnar, barrel and monstrose forms. Selections of succulents include Aloes, Crassulas and rosette-forming Agaves. View a map of the garden which includes pictures of the plants.

4worldlovers: Dry Creek Garden Hours: Open Thu - Sat 10am - 4pm

Parking: $5 per vehicle (when kiosk is attended); $4 per trailered vehicle. Buses: $25 per bus | Dogs: $2 per dog. No fee for guide/service dogs.

The following trails are currently closed due to storm damage: Meyers Ranch Trail, Garin Woods Trail, and Ziele Creek Trail.

High Ridge Loop Trail has sustained damage but is open to pedestrian use. South Fork Trail is open to hiking only. Other trails have also sustained some storm damage. Use caution while accessing all open trails in Garin and Dry Creek Pioneer. Due to storm damage Dry creek garden is closed until next year. View Map. Updated June 20, 2023.

Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks are two adjoining parks from former 19th Century ranches. The Park District has preserved the history of the parks and expanded both over the years with ecologically and historically significant ridges, trails, and open spaces. The combined parks now encompass over 5,800 acres of open space and more than 35 miles of trails through narrow valleys and rolling hills with panoramic views of the Bay Area.

Famed in the early 1880s for the spirit of gaiety that reigned here on festival days, guests poured in from the rural districts of the whole county to greet their friends and make merry.

And so today, we pray you to maintain with us that holiday spirit; leave care and worry behind you; enjoy the beauties of nature here in your midst; and pause for a moment in your rush through life to give thanks to the great artist who painted this ever-changing picture of the hills and fields and streams."

Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located in the restroom building by the Garin Barn. A wheelchair-accessible chemical toilet is located near Jordan Pond. Accessible drinking fountains are located throughout the picnic area. The service roads around the meadows and picnic areas at Garin are wheelchair accessible and total between 0.25 and 0.5 miles in length. Disabled-accessible parking is available at the Garin parking lot at the end of Garin Avenue in Hayward, and at the Dry Creek Garden parking lot at the end of May Road in Union City.

It is designed to aide in interpretive programs and for the enjoyment of the casual visitor. The Visitor Center displays artifacts from the ranching and farming history of the Hayward area. There is a blacksmith shop, a tool shop and several ranching-related displays to explore. An interesting collection of antique farm machinery outside the barn augments the display.

Meyers Cottage was a popular summer home of Edith, Mildred, and Jeanette Meyers, three sisters of Alameda who were very involved in local charities and fundraisers during the early and mid 1900s. The sisters also owned the 1,626-acre Dry Creek Ranch, which was donated to the Park District in 1979 and later opened as Dry Creek Regional Park. Upon the passing of the last surviving Meyers sister, the Meyers Cottage and its garden was also donated to the Park District. The Park District plans to eventually open the cottage for receptions, weddings, and similar events, and it will also house a small visitor center.

The beautifully restored two-acre garden is home to nearly 200 native and exotic plants, with something in bloom just about every day of the year. In addition to the restoration of the garden, pathways were rebuilt and footbridges were reconstructed over the creek. The garden is open to the public Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The garden and cottage is located at the end of May Road off Mission Boulevard in Union City, and the parking lot is open all week until dusk (see Park/Gate hours at right), providing access to trails at the south end of Dry Creek Regional Park, which is adjacent to Garin Regional Park.

A newer feature of Dry Creek Garden is the Iris Garden, which is usually open for two months during the spring, Thursdays through Sundays from 10am to 4pm.