Ventura Botanical Gardens – Ventura, CA

Go-Go Garbo’s Glorious Garden Ramble

Ventura Botanical Gardens – Ventura, CA

Visit: May 2024

When Tracy learned that the Ventura Botanical Gardens allows dogs on Wednesdays and Fridays, we decided this would be the perfect place to take Garbo, our new two-year-old corgi, for her first major adventure. Go west, young corgi, and that’s just what we did as we sped toward the coast on a rather overcast Friday morning.

Nestled in the foothills above the historic Ventura City Hall, Ventura Botanical Gardens in Grant Park encompasses 107 acres, which includes some 120,000 plants (more than 160 species). I had read that completion of the gardens is scheduled for sometime in the mid 2040s, and since I would then be (optimistically) in my early 90s, we thought it prudent to go now while I am still relatively upright (most of the time).

We arrived at the Merewether Welcome Center a little after 10:30 a.m. The Welcome Center was completed in 2018 after the devastating Thomas Fire, which damaged part of the gardens and destroyed more than 1,000 structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Ready to pay the $7 per person admission fee, we found out not only are dogs welcome on Friday, but it’s also a free admission day. The hike is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail with a gradual rise in elevation.

Garbo woofed she was ready to go.

There is a small nursery where one can buy plants …

 …but our yard is in full bloom right now thanks to Mrs. Green Thumb …

…so we carried on. Some recent reviewers gave the botanical gardens a mixed review due to lack of color, however we found it to be quite the contrary. It was the color purple with this lavender to start our day.

Time to check out the switchbacks. I could tell this was going to be a fun adventure for Garbo, who met many dogs as the day progressed, yet not a single one (including Garbo) made any sound, meaning the only bark we saw were on some trees.

Tracy was also going to have a fabulous time photographing her favorite subjects … Garbo, flowers and plants. We were now in the Chilean Gardens. Currently, there are five Mediterranean climate zones represented: Chile, the Cape of South Africa, Australia, the Mediterranean Basin and California. Some of the flora is unmarked so we turned to the iPhone Flower Power meter (not its real name). According to it, this is the ever popular Salpiglossis sinuata, which was very close to my educated guess of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Tracy also enjoys taking photos of me, pictured here as I tried to make the grade.

It really wasn’t very steep, but I was glad I wasn’t doing this hike at the age of 93. Sometimes the flower meter doesn’t work, but that doesn’t mean we enjoyed the flora any less, even if we didn’t have a clue what we were looking at.

Next up we stopped to view a Chilean Wine Palm, which reminded me that at lunch I wanted to be holding a wine glass in my palm.

Sadly, during the 1900s these beautiful trees were over harvested and become much more scarce, so much so that they are now a protected species in Chile’s national parks. The Chilean Wine Palm’s were cut down to harvest sap that’s used for making wine and sugar.

Here was an even more vibrant Salpiglossis sinuata known as a Painted Tongue.

The flower photo meter described this as Winter Heather, but since we were here in spring I cannot confirm or deny that observation.

The trail grew a little steeper, and Garbo and I happened by the Calandrinia spectabillis, a perennial favorite making a spectacle of itself.

A tiny visitor was quite attached to it. Love the busy bees.

In the past few years stone steps have been constructed, but knowing my propensity to tumble, we stayed on the trail.

Onward and upward we walked with Garbo tugging the old man along the path.

At various points along the hike, there are inspiring quotes engraved in stone. The one on the right could be about Tracy and me traveling with friends Kim and Mary, because half the time we have no clue where we’re going.

The Puya coerulea is a bromeliad from central Chile.

Its large groups of rosettes make for beautiful plants.

It’s hard to pick a name for yourself when your only two choices are shrubby scorpion-vetch or bastard senna.

We took a brief timeout to look down on the Ventura coastline and the wooden pier that’s been there for more than 150 years. Due to storms it has been closed to the public since January 2023, and unfortunately received additional storm damage in December 2023. Officials hope to open it up sometime this summer.

Next up were the crown daisies where, of course …

… we asked Garbo to, “Please don’t eat the daisies.”

Not only do we like the Netflix series Lupin, but the plant is pretty cool, too.

I think we were in South Africa now. The Protea family (Proteaceae) is a group of flowering plants that includes more than 1,400 species primarily native to South Africa. 

Garbo, however, looked a little confused as to whether we were in South Africa or South America, but I told her not to worry, at least you’re not in South Dakota. To get here, it took a lot of stamen-a. It would have been a stigma I would have never lived down had I not made it.

The Psoralea pinnata (no, it’s not from Mexico), otherwise known as the Scurfy Pea Shrub (coincidentally my nickname in grade school) is an erect evergreen shrub that is normally between 4 1/2 feet and 12 feet tall.

Our picturesque walk continued along a wooden path.

Leucospermum reflexum (I think) is a beautiful shrub and not something associated with your esophagus.

We thought the South African garden to be the most picturesque.

Judging by her yawn, Garbo was pretty bored with all the puns …

… so we had to take the whole thing sitting down.

I think this is a Crimson Bottlebrush (key word, “think”). I was now as confused as Garbo. Tracy said I’m incorrect, and unfortunately she is usually correct. 

Next up was a plant that looked more like a sea urchin.

I believe we are looking at at a Nodding pincushion (aka Yellow Bird), but remember, I am not a horticulturist, so there are sure to be some misidentifications of flora in our descriptions made along the way.Tracy said it might be a pincushion because it is sew pretty.     Our final stop was at the Karoo Garden. Garbo led the way, scouting out our route.

She was one happy doggie.

Garbo kept a watchful eye on someone who can take a tumble at a moment’s notice. I’d love to come back here on a sunny, clear, blue-sky day.

The lush gardens exceeded our expectations. Some more palms,  and we headed back down.

You say Good-bye, I say Aloe.

We could have climbed to the famed Serra Cross … but our stomachs were growling, plus we had seen the Cross years before when we visited the nearby San Buenaventura Mission.

I asked Garbo if we needed another one of these, and she replied, “No dad, I’m already pretty pooped out.”

We took one last short respite …

… and soon her big day had ended. Finally home after lunch, Tracy and Garbo were joined by Sebastian, and it was time for a late afternoon nap.

I think we hit the perfect time of year to visit the Ventura Botanical Gardens. It was ablaze with color after all the wet weather we’ve had this year.

It’s a pleasant hike, and if I can make it easily, then you have more than a good chance. I’ll be interested to see the additions through the years (although 2045 might be a stretch), and I’m sure we’ll return in the next few months for a sunny day hike. If you want to take a leisurely stroll with your four-legged friend, Ventura Botanical Gardens makes for a scenic and peaceful two to three hour experience.

Ventura Botanical Gardens is now officially Garbo-approved.

Ventura Botanical Gardens
567 Poli Street
Ventura, CA 93001
805.232.3113
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
Admission $7 (Fridays free)
Dogs Welcome Wednesday & Friday
Free Parking
https://venturabotanicalgardens.com/

For Lunch or Dinner nearby, we recommend The Cave (our review here), which is under a ten minute drive from the gardens.

The Cave (Restaurant & Wine Shop)
4435 McGrath Street • Unit 301
Ventura, CA 93003
805.642-9449
Monday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday/Saturday Noon – 10 p.m.
https://thecaveventura.com/