The University of California Botanical Garden is a living museum open to the public featuring one of the most diverse plant collections in the United States.

The Garden's mission is to develop and maintain a diverse living collection of plants to support teaching and worldwide research in plant biology, further the conservation of plant diversity, and promote public understanding and appreciation of plants and the natural environment.

Cultivate Enthusiasm for the UC Botanical Garden - Volunteer!

Volunteer Propagators - propagate and grow plants sold at the Garden Shop and two annual plant sales.

Garden Shop Volunteers - stock and sell gift items and books. Chat with visitors and share information about the Garden and plants.

Curatorial Volunteers - make plant labels, process seeds, help collect and prepare specimens for research and the herbarium, collect data on Garden plants, assist with the library.

Horticultural Volunteers - assist Horticultural staff with Garden maintenance, such as weeding, raking and mulching.

Special Events & Outreach Volunteers - travel with us to local community festivals to raise awareness about the Garden. Assist at programs and events, including our annual Garden Party, June 24, 2007.

Description:
Established in 1890, the Garden's 34 acres contain over 12,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world arranged by region.

The Garden is located on the UC Berkeley campus in Strawberry Canyon, on Centennial Drive between the Cal Memorial Stadium and the Lawrence Hall of Science, overlooking San Francisco Bay.

History:
A small garden of economic plants was established on the Berkeley campus on the site currently occupied by Moffit Library in the 1970’s by Dr. Eugene W. Hilgard (1833-1916), founding Dean of Agriculture . The University of California Botanical Garden was formally established in 1890 by E. L. Greene, the first chairman of the Department of Botany, to form a living collection of the native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants of the State of California, with the intent to gather in as rapidly as possible those of the neighboring states of the Pacific Coast. Within two years the collection numbered 600 species. In the following decade it grew to 1500, but then began to expand both its scope and collection to encompass plants from all continents and about 10,000 species.

The original official Garden was located near Haviland Hall on the north side of campus centered around a large glass conservatory modeled after the London Crystal Palace.

In the 1920's plans for campus development forced the Botanical Garden out of its initial central campus location (actually, the site remained a parking lot until 2007). Under the auspices of then Garden director T. Harper Goodspeed the Garden was relocated to its current position on 34 acres in Strawberry Canyon above the main campus, using a landscaping scheme created by J. W. Gregg in the Department of Landscape Design. In moving to the new location Goodspeed codified the principle that the Garden's plantings are to be organized according to their geographical origins in settings resembling the native habitats. This principle continues to dominate Garden policy.

Contact person: Perry Hall, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (510) 642-5045

Address:

200 Centennial Drive #5045 Berkeley, CA 94720 (See a map)

Web Site: http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu

Directions:

http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/visit/directions_google.shtml