UC Riverside Botanic Gardens

About UC Riverside Botanic Gardens

UC Riverside Botanic Gardens is a 40-acre living plant museum on the UC Riverside campus featuring more than 3,500 plant species and thousands of specimens from around the world. The gardens focus on plants from Mediterranean climates and arid lands, including species from California, the desert southwestern US, Australia, and Baja California. Themed collections include a Butterfly Garden with native flowering shrubs, an Herb Garden with aromatic and culinary herbs, an Iris Garden with over 150 bearded iris cultivars, Lilac Lane with true lilacs adapted to Riverside's mild winters, a Native American Plants Garden, and Rose Gardens displaying over 300 old and new rose selections. The Subtropical Fruit Orchard features citrus, guavas, sapotes, avocados, and macadamias. The gardens' variable elevation and Riverside's subtropical climate create numerous microcliches supporting abundant wildlife. Visitors explore the grounds on self-guided tours, attend periodic early morning bird walks, participate in twilight tours, and view seasonal demonstrations like annual rose pruning. The gardens are located in Riverside, California.