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Ruth Bancroft Garden
Rating Details »
Categories: Botanical Gardens, Venues & Event Spaces
1552 Bancroft RdWalnut Creek, CA 94598
(925) 944-9352
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- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
5 reviews for Ruth Bancroft Garden
I love gardens and this is one of them. As the brochure says (something similar to), this is not an English garden, so don't expect hummingbirds and romantic walks. If you don't have an appreciation of cacti and succulents, you will not enjoy your time here. If you are a self-navigator who loves a good price, you will surely go home with a new prickly or prickless friend and memories of a wonderfully laid garden.
Check out this mission statement:
The mission of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc. is to preserve this exceptional example of garden design and to continue to develop its collection of water-conserving plants for the education and enjoyment of the public.
Check out the website for very cool events. The one currently catching my eye is Fruit Tasting. Mmmm... prickly pears and jelly palms. I'm there!
People thought this was:
- Cool (1)
If you area huge fan of succulents, this is the garden for you. if you're not so into succulents, and you do the self-tour, It's not all that great as far as botanical gardens go.
There were a bunch of sculptures throughout the garden, which were clearly labeled with name, artist and price. unfortunately, those were the only thing that was clearly labeled in the garden. Some plants had markers that were faded and written sideways - that were hard to read, but most didn't.
The self guided tour book was a little hard to follow as it assumed you already know what all these plants are called(all these plants with no markers), which apparently are key to navigating the garden. I would recommend going when they have a guided tour.
My friend and I were visiting another friend and had 1/2 day to spare. We took the County Connection (bus) to the garden and spent a good hour walking around, discussing flowers. The garden is huge and there are plenty of plant and flower varieties. The visit has inspired to me to check out other gardens in Chicago.
Here are the photos I took - http://www.flickr.com/...
People thought this was:
- Cool (1)
The Ruth Bancroft Succulent Garden is a beautiful and unique place to visit, and a place that is truly remarkable to take friends and family who are inspired by nature, or who might never have seen dry-climate plants growing naturally. It's located on 4+ acres and is the living tribute to its founder, Ruth Bancroft, who turns 100 this year!
The grounds are filled with agaves, yukkas, palms, sage, aloes and many other varieties of succulents, thriving in a beautifully maintained habitat that meanders through what was once a walnut farm. Bancroft's family lineage is truly intriguing and it's noteworthy that her husband's grandfather was one of the preeminent historians of Western History.
My mom was totally floored (and so was I!) by the mammoth agaves (which only bloom once in their 30 year life span!) and the other little-known factoids we learned on our private tour. I recommend a private tour- it is a wonderful way to acquire a true appreciation for these unique specimens. They also have a plant sale twice a year, the next one is October.... but you can buy anything from the greenhouse on site at any time. It's really kid-friendly, and they even have a pond with fish in the center of the garden. Parking on site is a nice plus.
I went to Bancroft Garden on Saturday to see their sculpture show. They had local artisans showcase their art in the garden. Art and nature merged to become one. It was a delightful experience. 5 stars!
People were friendly, low key, older set who had no hang ups about who you were or what you drove. The garden is well maintained and the plants are from all over the world!
Specialties
The Ruth Bancroft Garden is well known for its extensive collection of succulents, cacti, natives, and other drought-tolerant plants. The garden was the first to be preserved by the Garden Conservancy in 1989. We offer self-guided tours of the garden every day from 10am-4pm (weather permitting during the winter months) and docent tours on Saturday at 10am. We sell plants every day, but we also have two big annual plant sales in the spring and fall. We offer adult education programs including garden design seminars and hands-on gardening workshops. We also have a wonderful field trip program for third grade students. Finally, you can rent this beautiful garden for your wedding or special event.
History
Established in 1972
Ruth Bancroft began collecting succulent plants in the 1950s, and amassed quite a collection of potted plants. In 1972, she used this collection to plant a new garden on the site of a former walnut orchard. Ruth created a garden full of dynamic plant combinations using drought-tolerant plants that very few other gardeners were using at that time. Her garden was selected by the Garden Conservancy to be its first preservation project in 1989, and a convservation easement was established to ensure the preservation of the garden. The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, now owns the garden and raises the funds necessary to preserve the garden for the education and enjoyment of the public. In September of 2009, Garden Founder Ruth Bancroft celebrated her 101st birthday.
