The world takes note of Balboa Park’s lush landscaping and lovely gardens, magnificent backdrops for its cultural attractions spanning 1,200 acres.
Visitors from other countries each year marvel at the brilliant Alcazar, award-winning rose area, Japanese Friendship, desert and the historic Botanical Building, all of which are managed and maintained by the Park and Recreation Department.
The historic Cactus Garden was developed under the direction of Kate Sessions for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. It contains some of the largest cactus and succulent specimens in the Park and has also been developed to include the exotic African and Australian Protea plants. It is located on the west side of the Balboa Park Club.
Alcazar was named because its design is patterned after the gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville, Spain. It lies adjacent to the Art Institute and Mingei Museum. It is known for its ornate fountains, exquisite turquoise blue, yellow, and green Moorish tiles and shady pergola. This formal garden, bordered by boxwood hedges, is planted with 7,000 annuals for a vibrant display of color throughout the year. The garden has been reconstructed to replicate the 1935 design by San Diego architect Richard Requa.
An Australian Garden has plants native to that country and do well since San Diego’s climate is comparable to the country down under. The garden contains Grevellia, Acacia and Callistemon, Banksia, Hakea, Stenocarpus, Leptospermum, Melaleuca and Eucalyptus. It is located in Gold Gulch, southeast of the Spreckles Organ Pavillion.
The Botanical Building, originally built for the1915-16 fair, has a lily pond in the foreground and is one of the most photographed scenes in the park. Included are more than 2,100 permanent plants, featuring fascinating collections of cycads, ferns, orchids, other tropical plants and palms.
California Native Plants is a small demonstration garden located at the west end of the tennis courts at Morley Field on the East Mesa. An interpretive brochure is provided with information on and identification of 36 drought tolerant California native plants suitable for home and landscape use.
Casa del Rey Moro (House of the Moorish King) was designed by Richard Requa for the 1935 Exposition and influenced by the Moorish gardens of Ronda, Spain. The garden, along with its surrounding building, the House of Hospitality, was rededicated in 1997 after extensive reconstruction and historic renovation, and includes a replica of the wishing well in the Guadalajara Museum of Gardens.
The Desert Garden contains more than 1,300 plants, including succulents and drought-resistant plants from around the world, within 2.5 acres. The peak blooming period is January through March; however, these plants are interesting at any time of year because of their unusual shapes. North of the Park Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge near the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden.
Florida Canyon’s Preserve gives the visitor a glimpse of the original landscape of the Park. The 150 acres of Coastal Sage Scrub provide an important habitat for native wildlife. Many hiking trails are scattered there, while park rangers and the Natural History Museum conduct tours.
Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden is one of the most frequently visited. A popular location for wedding ceremonies in the Park, the stunning garden displays approximately 2,500 roses of nearly 200 varieties on a three-acre site.
The Japanese Friendship Garden originated as a teahouse during the 1915″”16 Panama-California Exposition and now lies on two acres near the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Along the Garden’s winding paths are a Zen garden for meditation, an exhibit house, koi pond, bonsai exhibit, ceremonial gate, and a Fujidana (wisteria arbor).
The Marston House, a formal English Romantic-style garden with California influences, represents a slice of San Diego history, The formal garden was designed by Hal Walker and William Templeton Johnson in 1927 and is located on the 4.5 acre grounds of the George White and Anna Gunn Marston House, a beautiful example of the Arts and Crafts style.
Palm Canyon is a tropical oasis, containing more than 450 palms (58 species) within its two acres. A true hidden spot in Balboa Park, the winding paths take the visitor into a shady, lush canyon. The original group of Mexican fan palms “” so prominent in the canyon “” date back to 1912.
San Diego Floral Association and San Diego Botanical Foundation is the oldest garden club in Southern California, hosts of floral and horticultural shows. The San Diego Zoo Botanical Collection is an internationally prominent collection with more than 4,500 species of plants.
Zoro Garden, a sunken stone grotto garden that was designed as a nudist colony during the 1935 California-Pacific Exposition, is now a butterfly garden containing the larvae and nectar plants needed for the complete life cycle of butterflies. Miniature indentations built into rocks collect small pools of water for the monarch, sulfur, and swallowtail butterflies seen among the colorful perennials and majestic ficus trees that surround the garden.