Rebecca Goglia

It’s Mother’s Day! Treat your favorite mom to a wonderful day amongst the roses and perhaps bring a picnic.

Rose Gardens of the Bay Area

Here’s a list of free rose gardens all over the Bay Area:

Can’t make it on Mother’s Day on May 12, 2024? Don’t fret! With the warm weather in the next few weeks, the rose gardens should continue to flourish with more blooms in the coming weeks.

San Jose / South Bay

• San Jose’s Municipal Rose Garden – Rolling green lawns and colorful showy blooms highlight the San José Municipal Rose Garden. In fact, hardly a day passes when some species is not in full bloom, with more than 3,500 plantings and 189 varieties featured. San José’s 5.5 acre Municipal Rose Garden – a one-time prune orchard – is today one of the most attractive of its kind in the world, drawing thousands of visitors each year. The garden is exclusively devoted to shrubs of the rose family and features over 4,000 rose shrubs with 189 varieties represented. Hybrid–teas comprise 75% of the plantings. These shrubs are characterized by a single high centered bloom per stem. Open 8am to 1/2 hour after sunset. Includes picnic areas.
• San Jose Heritage Rose Garden – A world class collection of 3,000 plants of 2,800 varieties of heritage, modern and miniature roses, initially planted by more than 750 volunteers back in 1995.
• Mission Rose Gardens – Santa Clara University – The Mission Rose Garden is a small, beautiful, serene place on the Santa Clara University campus. Additionally, the Adobe Lodge and Adobe Wall in the rose gardens are original structures from the mission period. The garden houses primarily modern roses, but it has a few old garden roses that are gorgeous in the springtime plus tree roses, bush roses, and climbers.

East Bay

• Morcom Rose Garden – Oakland – The Morcom Rose Garden has thousands of exotic roses that are in bloom from Mother’s Day in May through October 31st. The Amphitheatre of Roses in the garden is an enchanting location. Visitors will see winding walkways, a reflecting pool, graceful stairways and fountain cascades. The Garden is wheelchair accessible.
• Berkeley Rose Garden – Considered by many to be the finest rose garden in northern California, Berkeley’s Historic Rose Garden contains 1,500 rose bushes and 250 varieties of roses, along with breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, a terraced amphitheater and 220-foot-long redwood pergola. Open 6am to 10pm. Includes picnic area, restroom and is wheelchair accessible.
• Crowden Rose Garden at the Gardens at Heather Farm – Walnut Creek – The rose garden is the centerpiece of the 6.5 acre Gardens at Heather Farm with a prized collection features more than 1,000 roses and 150 cultivars. Plus with dozens of paved and gravel pathways, a rose-covered gazebo, waterfall area, conservation garden, children’s garden and a variety of seasonal displays, your visit to The Gardens will be both inspiring and educational. Free. Open 7 days a week; sunrise to sunset.

Berkeley Rose Garden - Daniel Parks - CC BY 2.0

San Francisco

• Golden Gate Park Rose Garden – San Francisco – Located off JFK Drive and 14th Avenue (right behind the de Young), check out the award-winning spread of flowers. A unique variety of roses bloom as the public is enlightened by the beauty, fragrance, and sight of hybrid tea roses and various miniatures. There are 60 beds of roses that stretch all the way to Fulton Street.

Peninsula

• Marion Panaretos Rose Garden – San Mateo – Located in Central Park – The rose garden features over 150 roses and 100 varieties, with 86 roses in 12 beds plus 8 hedged gardens holding 5-7 roses in each, and the circle garden holding 5 roses.

North Bay

• Marin Art and Garden Center – Ross – From the manicured elegance of the Rose Garden to the wilds of the Habitat Garden, you’re bound to find something to capture your interest among the 11 acres of the National Historic Landmark, Marin Art and Garden Center. The grounds are open to foot traffic from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week.