Luther Burbank Home
& Gardens
Santa Rosa, California
June 2008
This 1.5-acre garden is the site where Luther Burbank, one
of America’s foremost horticulturists, lived and worked for
most of his career. It was left to the city of Santa Rosa
by his widow in 1977, and is today a city park. The garden
is a tribute to Burbank's work and features many of the
plants he hybridized or selected.
As you enter the grounds, on your left is a lovely small
rose garden featuring roses hybridized by Burbank, and
other hybrids from the era.
There's a beautiful pink rose called 'Burbank' that is one
of Luther Burbank's hybrids.
On the right is the home where Burbank lived for many
years. After his death, his widow made numerous
improvements.
Straight ahead is the carriage house which has been
renovated as a small museum and gift shop.
There's a lovely old greenhouse that was designed and built
by Burbank in 1889. Today it houses exhibits, and a
recreation of Burbank's office.
Behind the carriage house is a lovely backyard planted with
a wide variety of the kinds of plants Burbank worked with.
There are beds of vegetables, beds of flowering plants,
fruit trees and raspberry vines. Many have an interpretive
label telling of Burbank's work with and interest in that
particular group of plants. Some might find the signs too
'wordy', but I found them fascinating.
Luther Burbank’s most famous achievement is the Shasta
Daisy. Burbank spent 17 years developing this, by
hybridizing four species of daisy.
Burbank is also famous for introducing and promoting the
‘spineless prickly pear’. He selected varieties for both
fruit and edible pads.
Burbank worked with many different types of plants over his
long career and examples of most are planted and
interpreted here. The garden has done an excellent job of
labeling the plants and I was impressed by the depth and
amount of interpretive material in the garden. The signs
are low-tech and not very flashy but they are full of
interesting information about Burbank and his plants.
Although the garden is very small there was enough to keep
us fascinated for a couple of hours.
To see more photos of the Luther Burbank Garden,
click here.
Click here to visit the official website of the
Luther Burbank Garden.