Balboa Park Gardens

Balboa Park Gardens are the cultivated landscapes woven throughout Balboa Park in San Diego, creating a broad botanical setting across 1,200 acres of hills and canyons rather than a single enclosed garden. Their distinct sites include ornamental, specialty, and historic designed landscapes such as Alcazar Gardens, Palm Canyon, and the Japanese Friendship Garden, while the San Diego Zoo adds another notable plant collection within the park. With about 350 plant species and approximately 1,500 trees, many selected and planted by horticulturalist Kate Sessions, the gardens have long shaped Balboa Park’s identity as both a civic park and a horticultural display.

San Diego, California · United States