ENCINITAS — In addition to the San Diego Botanic Garden World of Houseplants, running through Sept. 5, the public botanical outreach and education institution has a full slate of programming and special events.
San Diego Botanic Garden visitors are able to stroll 15 gardens that represent different regions of the world, 12 demonstration gardens where they can learn in a hands-on setting, and the largest public bamboo collection in North America. The garden is at 300 Quail Gardens Drive.
Summer Nights have the garden open until 8 p.m. Aug. 11 and Aug. 25 and Sept. 8. Take advantage of extended hours to enjoy the summer’s warm weather and long days. Stroll through the Garden at sunset, and enjoy food you have pre-ordered around fire pits near the main entrance. Each evening features a different special event, most of which require a special event ticket. Tickets are available at sdbgarden.org.
Aug. 11 will offer a Concert on the Lawn with Billy Lee and the JukeTones. Aug. 25 sign up for the special presentation: Wine in the Garden. On Sept. 8 get tickets for the Amphitheater Concert featuring the Peter Pupping Band.
For the youngsters, join in SAPLinGS from 10 a.m. to noon every Wednesday to Friday. You can drop by anytime for kids to participate in activities through SDBG’s SAPLinGS (Science, Art and PLay in Garden Spaces) program. Kids are able to help the team garden in the Incredible Edibles Garden, learn cool science, play in Toni’s Treehouse, make music and art, and splash in the mountain stream.
SDBG has three children’s gardens:
- Hamilton Children’s Garden – the largest children’s garden on the West Coast – home to Toni’s Tree House, the Incredible Edibles garden, a mountain stream, a Bird and Butterfly garden; and many more discovery areas.
- Seeds of Wonder – a magical garden space for early learners that includes model trains
- Junior Quail Trail – an immersive area to explore and play outdoors – using interactive elements to blend physical challenges with observations of the natural world.
SDBG premieres “Seeing the Invisible,” an Augmented Reality art exhibition of contemporary artworks created with augmented reality technology through August. The exhibition can be viewed only through the Seeing the Invisible app for mobile devices while on location at participating gardens.
The garden offers Butterfly Walks, the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 10 a.m. to noon from June through October, led by a garden volunteer and joined regularly by butterfly expert Michael Perry from UC San Diego and members of his lab.
