We are heading to San Francisco, Carmel , Monterrey. What gardens should we NOT miss? We will be there in early-mid July
Answer
I asked Brandy Kuhl, horticultural librarian at the San Francisco Botanical Garden for advice. Below are her suggestions sent via email:
San Francisco Botanical Garden - its perennial garden will be lovely in mid-July and the Redwood Grove plants will be just starting to bloom. Our Garden of Fragrance is always nice. There are other beautiful gardens in Golden Gate Park; the Conservatory of Flowers and the Rose Garden in particular.
Filoli is always a great choice and should be beautiful in mid-July.
UC Berkeley Botanical Garden is always nice.
Regional Parks Botanic Garden is one of my favorites. It is a small 10-acre garden of California natives; the collection is impressive and is representative of many native habitats. Mid-July would not be the ideal time to visit, but it is a wonderful experience if you are interested in native flora.
There are a lot of natural areas in the Bay Area I highly recommend:Muir Woods, Mount Tamalpias, Point Lobos, Point Reyes National Seashore, the Big Sur area (Andrew Molera State Park, Pfieffer Big Sur State Park) and Pinnacles National Park are my favorites.
Have fun!