The Ruth Bancroft Garden

04/23/2025

Tickets are still available for our Waterwise Garden Tour this Saturday, April 26th!

Take a self-guided tour of 18 home gardens in Walnut Creek and Concord that showcase the beauty and diversity that waterwise gardens can offer.⁠ This inspiring tour will showcase lawn-to-garden conversion projects up close and allow you to talk to the homeowners and designers about the process, their plant choices, and their overall experiences.

Get tickets: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/event/offsite-2025-waterwise-garden-tour/

Explore the gardens at your own pace between 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm (no visits between 12pm-1pm out of respect for the homeowners). Lunch is not provided, but there are plenty of food options nearby.

This event is in collaboration with The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Contra Costa Water District, and East Bay Municipal Utility District.

04/23/2025

Happy from the Ruth Bancroft Garden! 🌎

Don't miss these upcoming events:
📚Story Time - April 24 at 9:30am
🌿Waterwise Garden Tour - April 26 from 9am-4pm
🪴Spring Member Sale - 25 % off Everything in the Nursery - April 30 - May 4
🧘‍♀️Sound Bath - April 30 at 6pm
🌵(Tour) - Survival Secrets of Desert Plants- May 3 at 10am
☕️Member Coffee - May 8 at 8am
⭐️Garden Gala - May 17th at 5pm

Learn more by visiting: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/events/

04/19/2025

Check out our latest plant arrivals!

✨We’re getting ready for our Members-only Spring Sale: 25% off EVERYTHING in the Nursery—April 30 - May 4!✨

Plant pictured:
Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’
Iris douglasiana 'Benitoite Blue'
Armeria maritime
Acacia ‘Cousin Itt’
Protea ‘Pink Ice’
Euphorbia flanaganii (crested)
Euphorbia mammillaris
Manfreda ‘Cherry Chocolate Chip’
Sansevieria ‘Moonshine’
Gasteria bicolor
Ferocactus pilosis
Scabiosa ‘Flutter Rose Pink’
Protea ‘Mini King’
Dudleya cymosa subsp. paniculata

04/19/2025

Spring is here, and some incredible cacti are putting on a show.

Plants pictured:

Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’
Soehrensia formosa
Ferocactus macrodiscus
Echinopsis ‘Giant Yellow’

Check out more beautiful blooms on our Tumblr: https://ruthbancroftgarden.tumblr.com/

04/18/2025

Meet us in the Plaza this Saturday, April 19th, from 10am-2pm, for a special artist pop-up featuring Mary Lou Correia, our spring artist in residence. 🎨

See the beautiful paintings Mary Lou created during her residency and purchase one for yourself!

Pop-Up Art Sale – April 19th | 10am-2pm in the Plaza

04/14/2025

Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated Pollinator & Friends Day at the Garden this weekend! 🦋

We had an incredible time with our amazing community, partnering organizations, and vendors – you made Pollinator & Friends Day buzz with excitement!

04/11/2025

Pollinator and Friends Day is THIS Saturday! 🦋⁠
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This family-friendly event will feature:⁠

- Educational offerings from our partner organizations⁠
- Unique craft and food vendors⁠
- Various stations throughout the Plaza, Building, and Garden, including a children’s craft table and a butterfly and beehive observation table.⁠
- Free talks in the Garden (requires garden admission)
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All activities in the Plaza and Building are free and children (ages 0-17) receive free admission to the Garden during this event. Additional activities will take place in the Garden, which requires paid admission for adults. Members of the Ruth Bancroft Garden are always free!

We hope you can buzz on over this weekend! Learn more here: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/event/pollinator-friends-day/

04/09/2025

Ready to save water and create your dream garden?

Join us Thursday, April 10 at 5 pm, for a FREE and inspiring webinar hosted by CCWD and EBMUD to learn practical tips for conserving water and designing a garden that thrives in our local climate. You’ll hear from expert speakers who’ll guide you through key strategies, including:

• EBMUD: How to convert a lawn and build healthy soil with sheet mulching.
• CCWD: The basics of irrigation to make every drop count.
• Ruth Bancroft Garden: Plants for various garden styles that are both beautiful and waterwise.

Whether you’re a gardening newbie or looking for eco-friendly upgrades, this webinar will give you the tools to get started! Register here: https://ebmud.zoom.us/webinar/register/2017389705661/WN_-vsyOf5oSU-jg_CcDDhHrQ #/registration

04/08/2025

For sheer flower-power, it is hard to beat a Drosanthemum! Here are two plants currently blooming in the Garden: Drosanthemum micans (red and yellow flowers) and Drosanthemum speciosum (red flowers).

04/06/2025

April Plant Highlight: Kalanchoe tomentosa

Kalanchoe is a fairly large genus in the Crassulaceae, or Stonecrop Family, with 138 species listed in the Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Crassulaceae, published in 2003. Of these, 63 species are from Madagascar, with an additional species found in the adjacent Comoro Islands. Most of the rest occur in Africa, with a few also occurring in the Arabian Peninsula, Asia, and the island of Socotra. Among those from Madagascar are some with considerable horticultural appeal, including Kalanchoe tomentosa, sometimes called the panda plant on account of its furry leaves. It comes from Madagascar’s central highlands, to the south of Antananarivo.

Kalanchoe tomentosa is frequently grown as a potted plant, but it can be planted out where winters are mild. It can endure only brief dips below freezing, so it is not suitable outdoors where cold spells in winter exceed this. At the Ruth Bancroft Garden, we grow it in a bed that gets covered in winter to protect it from the cold. It grows on rocks in nature, so good drainage is important, and it wants plenty of sunlight to keep it compact, though it should be protected from the full brunt of the afternoon sun in hot places. - Brian (Curator)

Read more about this month's plant highlight here: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/plants/kalanchoe-tomentosa/

04/06/2025

You’re invited! Join the Garden party at our annual Gala taking place on May 17th at 5pm. The evening will include a rare plant auction, live music by The Gold Souls, specialty drinks, food from Elisa's Catering, and more! ⁠

This annual fundraiser supports the preservation of Ruth's incredible collection as well as our community programming, year-round. We hope to see you there! Get tickets here: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/gala/

04/05/2025

Get tickets for our Waterwise Garden Tour! We’ve partnered with Contra Costa Water District and East Bay Municipal Utility District to offer you the opportunity to take a self-guided tour of 17 home gardens in Walnut Creek and Concord that showcase the beauty and diversity that waterwise gardens can offer.⁠
⁠
April 27th from 9am-4pm (with a lunch break for homeowners 12pm-1pm)⁠
Get tickets: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/event/offsite-2025-waterwise-garden-tour/
⁠⁠
This self-guided tour will showcase lawn-to-garden conversion projects up close and give you the opportunity to talk to the homeowners and designers about the process, their plant choices, and overall experiences.

04/04/2025

Thanks to all our members who came out to last night's "Gardens for the Future" event!

If you were enjoying the evening's eco-conscious jams, you can continue listening here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yR2RnswPx6YwA86WFwLnf?si=JQ-xeES0Sa-QU3RjIARcsA

Many thanks also to our event food & bev sponsor, Diablo Foods.

04/04/2025

Take a tour of Ruth Bancroft's private Iris collection!

The Garden and the Mt. Diablo Iris Society are co-hosting an exclusive experience for visitors to immerse themselves in a diverse array of Ruth’s heirloom iris collection, celebrated for its vibrant colors and unique hybrids. Thanks to a generous invitation from the Bancroft family, visitors will have the rare opportunity to visit their private property with a short, guided tour from Mt. Diablo Iris Society members.

Tours will be offered from April 22nd to April 25th, with 30-minute sessions available between 9:15 AM -12:00 PM. Get tickets here: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/series/iris-tours/

04/03/2025

Check out What's in Bloom this month at the Ruth Bancroft Garden!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHyK4P0A0RA

Plants featured in this month's video:
Yucca brevifolia
Ferraria crispa
Xanthorrhea preissii
Aloe vaombe
Aloe excelsa x petricola
Isopogon divergens

Join Brian Kemble for a view of a selection of this month's What's in Bloom at the Ruth Bancroft Garden.00:00 IntroThe plants selected for this month's What'...

04/02/2025

Jim released Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies in the Garden this morning, just in time for Pollinator and Friends Day on April 12th! Look for them fluttering around the Garden. 🦋

Open until 4pm.

04/01/2025

We all know that April is native plant month—this year, the Garden is taking its commitment to native biodiversity a step further with the integration of wild bobcats (Lynx rufus) to our beautiful space. Be sure to say hi to our new furry friends when you see them!

03/31/2025

Struggling with your garden? Let's chat! Drop by the Nursery on Wednesday, April 2nd, (9:30 AM - 12:30 PM) to chat with one of our landscape designers and get free advice on your home garden.

"Designer in the Nursery" takes place on the first Wednesday of the month. Whether you seek guidance on plant selection, layout ideas, or design principles, we’re here to help.

Please note, this is not a formal consultation or a session to create detailed plans. Instead, it’s an excellent opportunity to gain insights into our Design Services and receive valuable tips for your garden projects.

📸 Caitlin Atkinson Photography

02/06/2023

Are you a landscape architect or garden designer that has been influenced by the Ruth Bancroft Garden?

We are currently working on a project focusing on the impact of Ruth Bancroft beyond our walls. If a garden you designed is selected, you may be featured! Send us a direct message if you’re interested.