Sonoma Botanical Garden

A 67-acre botanical garden in Sonoma, California, is internationally recognized and home to one of the largest collections of scientifically documented, wild-source Asian plants in North America and Europe, many of which represent ancestors of horticultural favorites. The recent addition of California native plants to its living collection will deepen its significance as a conservation institution in another biodiversity hotspot closer to home. “We hope that encountering specimens of California’s endangered native flora will lead people to an appreciation of plant-conservation challenges around the world, including those found in Asia, and vice versa—that learning about the endangered flora of Asia might inspire local action to save California plants,” said Executive Director Scot Medbury. “Adapting our mission to include California botany will allow us to be even more sensitive to wildlife, water, and wildfire issues.” “All of us are inspired by the opportunity to use this extraordinary site and its rich collections of plants to engage the next generation of environmental stewards,” he added.