Gardens of Balboa Park

Within the center of this city by the sea is Balboa Park, a cultural and botanical oasis providing a mind-boggling breadth of educational and sensory offerings, including numerous gardens.

Blessed with the natural gifts of climate and location, San Diego nurtures a wide range of native and introduced plant life, reflected in the diverse gardens found within Balboa Park. Some of the park's most popular gardens are the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden and the Japanese Friendship Garden. Additional gardens also drawing inspiration from locale are the California Native Plant Garden and the Australian Garden. Two gardens flaunt themes with Spanish flair: the Moorish gardens of Ronda inspired the Casa del Rey Moro Garden, and the Alcazar Garden reminiscent of the gardens at Sevilla's Alcazar Castle.

The Desert Garden and the 1935 (Old) Cactus Garden focus on drought-resistant plants like cacti and other succulents, featuring resilient plants found where rainfall is scarce. Both offer a glimpse of the desert's unexpected beauty. Balboa Park also has two educational gardens. WorldBeat Center's Children's Ethnobotany Garden features organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs and is dedicated to teaching young people about the societal role of plants. The Trees for Health Garden promotes a deeper understanding of the value and applications of medicinal plants and fosters an appreciation of conservation.

Additional gardens include the moving Veteran's Memorial Garden which honors veterans from all eras and military branches, and Palm Canyon boasting more than 450 palms from 58 species, and some resident Mexican fan palms that date back to 1912. On the unconventional side, the Zoro Garden's sunken-stone grotto was built in 1935 for use as a nudist colony, but has since been adapted into a butterfly garden.

The Botanical Building and the San Diego Zoo Botanical Collection merely add to Balboa Park's eclectic botanical delights. Altogether, they make for a plant lover's paradise.

- Iris Jahng