With the Bay Area's dry summer giving way to the rainy season, the Ruth Bancroft Garden is a good place to see what thrives without much water. The 3.5-acre garden in Walnut Creek holds more than 2,000 cactuses, succulents, trees and shrubs from California, Mexico, Chile, South Africa and Australia. Here's how to visit.

How it began

The garden sits on what was Bancroft Farm, a 400-acre property that publisher Hubert Howe Bancroft, grandfather of Ruth's husband Philip, bought in the 1880s as a pear and walnut orchard. In the 1950s, Ruth Bancroft brought home a single succulent, an Aeonium grown by plant breeder Glenn Davidson. Her potted collection grew. By 1972, when the orchard was cut down and the land rezoned, it had moved to the garden's current site.

In 1989 it became the first garden in the United States preserved by the Garden Conservancy, and it has been open to the public since 1992. Its collections include aloes, agaves, yuccas, dudleyas, echeverias, Chilean wine palms and puyas.

Hours

The garden is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last entry at 3:15 p.m. It's closed every Monday and Tuesday, plus Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day and the Fourth of July.

Admission

  • Adults (18–64): $15
  • Seniors 65+, students, active military and teachers with ID: $12
  • Children 5–17: $6
  • Children 4 and under, Ruth Bancroft Garden members and Garden Conservancy members: free
  • EBT cardholders: free through Museums for All

Admission includes a self-guided tour booklet and a "What's in Bloom" sheet. The on-site retail nursery is free to visit.

Bring the dog

Unlike most Bay Area gardens, this one welcomes well-behaved dogs on leash, the garden says. Service animals are welcome too.

Accessibility and tips

  • The garden is accessible, but paths aren't paved. Wheelchairs with durable tires are available first come, first served. Parking and restrooms are accessible, and the building has an elevator.
  • Paths aren't clearly edged and there are many spiky plants, so the garden recommends that visitors who are blind or have low vision come with a sighted companion.
  • Stay on the paths. The garden calls itself a living museum.
  • Tripods aren't allowed.
  • Kids can pick up a children's tour book and garden bingo at the admission kiosk.

The garden is at 1552 Bancroft Road in Walnut Creek.