Volunteer members of the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County were working in Balboa Park’s Founder’s Plaza this morning, removing old overgrown vegetation so that new, beautiful plants can be introduced.
For many years they’ve maintained this small garden that surrounds statues of Balboa Park’s founders. Their efforts are part of Balboa Park’s Adopt-a-Plot program.
I learned the new plants will require less water than most, and will attract pollinators such as butterflies.
I can’t wait to see the finished garden!
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About a month ago, I discovered a very beautiful garden in front of the Solana Beach Post Office. It was obvious that people have carefully tended the green space that includes paths for strolling and public art.
Those people, I’ve learned, are the volunteer SeaWeeders of the Solana Beach Garden Club. Their mission is to promote the sustainable beautification of the City of Solana Beach through social interaction, garden education, and home and civic enrichment.
Here’s a webpage that describes the Solana Beach Post Office garden rejuvenation project. (Other community projects by the SeaWeeders, too!)
The colorful sculpture you see in my photos is by artist Christi Beniston. It was originally created for the El Paseo Invitational Sculpture Exhibit “Topiaries” in Palm Desert. For a while it had been located on North Cedros Avenue.
You can join the SeaWeeders to help keep Solana Beach green and beautiful! Learn more about this opportunity here.
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Once Upon a Fair is this year’s theme for the San Diego County Fair. Fairy tales, beloved picture books, popular fiction and timeless classics are celebrated in fantastic exhibits throughout the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
The ever-popular Garden Show, not surprisingly, has become a place where gardening clubs from around the San Diego region have “hybridized” beautiful flowers and plants with . . . fantasy!
Walk around the Garden Show and you’re likely to discover scenes from wonderfully imaginative works like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Little Mermaid, and more.
I always delight in the huge model train layout built by the San Diego Garden Railway Society. Their display this year contains fantasy elements from many well known tales.
Check out the following photographs! What stories can you identify?
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The 2026 Geranium Show and Sale was held this weekend in Balboa Park. Members of the San Diego Geranium Society filled Room 101 of the Casa del Prado with beautiful living color!
There’s something very homey about geraniums. They’re easy to propagate and grow, and their cheerful blooms endure most of the year. What home doesn’t have a pot of these flowering plants on a porch or window sill?
In addition to the different varieties of geranium in the show, visitors could view works of art and special displays that celebrate the geranium.
Some photographs…
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There’s a special garden in Balboa Park you might not know about. It’s located outside the WorldBeat Cultural Center. Those heading along Park Boulevard can glimpse the greenery just south of the circular WorldBeat Cultural Center building.
Known by several names, including the Healing Peace Garden and Children’s Ethnobotany Garden, this green oasis can be visited by appointment or on special occasions.
Fortunately, the garden was open during the Global Earth Day festival last weekend. Having never stepped inside, I took advantage of the opportunity!
When I entered the Healing Peace Garden, I did feel at peace. The nearby street and urban surroundings seemed to vanish. I had entered what felt like a wholly natural place–a world of deep green, full of life and living.
Several footpaths pass shady nooks–places for mediation and contemplation. There are bits of art among the trees and plants, including a seating ring where people can gather to talk, create music, or simply absorb the surrounding beauty.
I was interested to learn the award-winning garden is considered the first sustainable, edible garden in Balboa Park, as well as a monarch butterfly waystation certified by Monarch Watch, and a wildlife habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation.
The garden is used as an outdoor classroom, too. This webpage explains: The unique organic herb, fruit, and vegetable garden honors the memory of George Washington Carver, and is dedicated to teaching young people about the role of plants in society. Gardening classes are available to schools, youth programs, individuals and families by booking a workshop or requesting a docent at the WorldBeat Center.
Now let’s enter the garden and walk around…
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Chula Vista’s new Sweetwater Park on San Diego Bay is a place where our natural environment is protected and celebrated. Visitors can enjoy long walking trails that wind among native plants.
In the Council Ring near the restrooms and parking lot, an easy circular path features many such plants, and two informative signs explain how these plants were an important part of Kumeyaay culture.
Ethnobotany is explained as the study of how different cultures use plants native to their environments. This includes plants that provide food, medicine, shelter, soaps, fibers, dyes, waxes and more. The Kumeyaay people, who have lived in the San Diego region for thousands of years, have a deep ethnobotanical knowledge and connection to their surrounding environment.
Visitors are invited to look for certain plants, such as Sugar Bush, California Buckwheat, Mulefat and Bladderpod. Did you know that tea made from Singlewhorl Burrobush has been used to control dandruff? Or that boiled root of Lanceleaf Liveforever has been used to treat asthma?
Pause at these signs during your visit to Sweetwater Park and learn more about the history of our region, and the native inhabitants the natural environment has supported.
Look for other signs around the park identifying plants, too!
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A surprising new exhibit opened yesterday at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park. Farm to Craft: Grains in Global Folk Art is now on display in the museum’s first floor Entry Level, where admission is free to all visitors.
The beautiful handmade crafts from around the world are a treat for the eyes. These artistic works come from farms–from grown material like straw, rice, wheat or corn.
Crafts include dolls and toys. Some of the creations are made to be worn. Others were designed to be useful farming tools or containers. Excessive plant material that might otherwise be discarded is made useful!
I took a few photographs.
These exquisite crafts from the museum’s collection will be on view through January 10, 2027.
Perhaps, after viewing the exhibit, you’ll be inspired to fold your own corn husk creation–such as those roses made by street performers. Here’s a short video on how to craft a simple, easy corn husk flower!
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Today I noted that progress is being made in creating Balboa Park’s Central Gardens. Work continues to be done around the Botanical Building and along one side of the Lily Pond!
The new pergola west of the Botanical Building is taking shape, the grassy area around the fountain to the east is all dug up (as you can see in the above photograph), and new grass and garden plants can be enjoyed by park visitors in various other places!
The UC San Diego Brian & Nancy Malk Sunset Overlook opened last summer. Situated high above Scripps Institution of Oceanography, an elevated platform offers wide views of the Pacific Ocean and parts of coastal La Jolla.
If you’d like to enjoy amazing panoramic views, head down La Jolla Shores Drive to Midpac Lane and look for the small parking lot.
The new overlook includes picnic tables and a bench where you can sit, relax and gaze out over the ocean. Native plants flourish around the platform and pathway.
Nearby, an informative sign tells how the Kumeyaay people lived in La Jolla (Matlahual) for thousands of years and have acted as stewards of the land. This area was part of a lagoon. It was an important natural resource that provided useful materials–for basket making, medicines, fishing, hunting, gathering and more. The sign at the overlook was developed in partnership with Jamul Indian Village and Mary Munk.
I visited recently on a sunny day…
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I blogged about this free educational event three years ago. I noticed that this year a number of friendly folks were also on hand to sharpen garden tools! Very handy!
Why not click the above links and consider becoming a member of one or more local gardening groups. If you’d like, you can even volunteer to help maintain Balboa Park’s very beautiful rose garden!
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