The 55-acre public garden, set in Golden Gate Park, will expand its plant collections and garden designs thanks to $1,945,000 the non-profit group recently raised, Garden Society officials announced today.
The money will be used to augment several of the facility's 26 gardens, including the Australian, New Zealand and Chilean gardens, the Southeast Asian Cloud Garden, the Gondwana Circle Garden, the Zellerbach Garden and the Primitive Plants Garden. Repairs will also be made to the roof of the Horticulture Library.
"We are grateful that our individual donors have such affection for the Botanical Garden, and want to extend these many improvements to a public that also loves it," Garden Society Executive Director Michael McKechnie said in a statement announcing the donations.
The garden, which is owned and operated by the city, has a diverse collection of more than 7,500 plants, including rare and unusual varieties that can be grown in coastal California, and offers both self-guided walking tours and docent-led tours, educational programs and workshops, and a library of horticulture.
Admission is free and the garden is open every day. More information can be found at www.sfbotanicalgarden.org.