The Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Regional Park is devoted entirely to plants native to California.
The state in 10 acres
According to Wikipedia, the 10-acre garden opened on Jan. 1, 1940. It's laid out by region, with sections for Southern California, Shasta-Klamath, Valley-Foothill, Santa Lucia, the Channel Islands, the Sierra, the redwoods, the sea bluffs, the Pacific rain forest and the Franciscan region, plus smaller areas for the Antioch Dunes, coastal dunes and a pond.
Wikipedia says the collection includes nearly all of California's conifers and oaks, a strong collection of wild lilacs (Ceanothus), what may be the most complete collection of California manzanitas anywhere, and about 300 rare and endangered plant taxa.
Getting there this winter
The garden says South Park Drive in Tilden is closed to all motor vehicles from Nov. 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, to protect migrating and breeding newts. Its website lists alternate routes. Read more in our story on the South Park Drive newt closure.
Classes
The garden's website also lists classes led by Glenn Keator at its visitor center. For the rest of the park, see our Tilden Regional Park guide.