Excerpt
The Asian gardens, some of the most evocative settings, are filled with superb magnolias and camellias, celestial Japanese maples, and Michelia doltsopa, a Himalayan relative of magnolias. Conifers are also handsomely represented. Along the path not far from the Helen Crocker Library, you'll find a choice example of Ginkgo biloba, a broad-leaved conifer. If you cross the lawn heading south then west, you'll come upon a service road. Follow the path there to a stream, until you glimpse a grove of redwoods. Discovered in 1941 in China, these three rare Metasequoia glyptostroboides with their magnificent sienna-colored bark are particularly striking.
During your visit, explore the popular Moon Viewing Garden, given by the Ikebana International Society. The garden's wooden deck, oriented so that one may look out at the moon, functions sublimely as a momentary resting place where you can revel in the glimmering contrasts between the trees and shrubs.
The Old World Cloud Forest is enchanting, if not in name alone. Its collection of Vireya rhododendrons are unusual for their capacity to rebloom in San Francisco's summers, after putting on a most impressive floral exhibition in the spring. In the Primitive Plant Garden, plants related to more ancient species are displayed. Proceed along the angular, zigzagging wooden walkway to view imposing tree ferns, horsetails, and the enormous presence of Gunnera chilensis from Patagonia.
If you like scented gardens, the Garden of Fragrance will lure you with its myriad aromas. The garden has Braille labels designed for the visually impaired. For a wealth of ideas, perennial gardeners may want to study the handsome plantings of the Zellerbach Garden of Perennials, which was developed in 1967, and after a redesign, reopened in 2001.
[from the entry for the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, Golden Gate Park]