McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

This is a nice garden. Had very few plant identifying markers. Enjoyed sitting in the shade on one of the many benches.

2.5 stars
There are few blooming flowers to look at in this garden. Having been to Filoli Gardens, San Jose’s municipal garden and several japanese tea gardens, I expected a grander variety and color spectrum that shows seasonal bounty. At the same time, with searing temperatures and an ongoing drought, I can understand having plants that are more desert-​suited and evergreen. Roses would wilt before the end of May in this heat.
Gardens are separated into continents, with dirt trails weaving together each garden. A normal-​looking dirt path leads north, away from the main garden, towards Charlotte’s crossing. Here, the rattlesnake warning sign made me want to turn around and roadrunner *meep meep* my way out of the area, but there was no path connecting it to the rest of the garden. P and I had to backtrack and make our way gingerly through some tanbark to get to the Mosaic Oasis. We felt bad, but these were some very poorly planned path routes with no signs to explain we were moving away from the gardens.
Some plants are repeated throughout the gardens, and you may not see a placard for each location, which can be frustrating. The pineapple-​shaped blooms, for example, were beautiful and unusual, but had no description. There are plenty of gorgeous art displays and sculptures throughout, with the Earthstone being the latest installation (made by the Mosaic artist).
Hikers and families abound, with the occasional hummingbird and dragonfly. Benches are scattered throughout for a respite in hot weather, but shade can be found throughout the perimeter of the gardens.
Sadly, the most colorful area of this garden is the perennial section, near the Sundial Bridge. Stick to the main path (straight down the middle of the gardens) to see the water lillies and ponds, which were a highlight. Admission is $ 4, payable in the deposit box at either entrance.

Simply gorgeous. I love going for a walk here! It’s a great place to take kids; tons of room for them to run around and get their energy out. The best is in the spring when everything is in full bloom.
Don’t get me wrong. this is just a dirt path which a bunch of trees, flowers, bushes and other plants along the way. So if a garden is not you’re thing you’ll probably be very bored going here. Their is a water fountain/​structure that kids love to play around, but it usually has mold around it. They offer two entrances: One off of Market Street and one right past the Sundial Bridge and to the left.
If you’re looking for a place to walk, this is the place. There is shaded areas with benches and a play area towards the Market Street entrance.

I live near the gardens and I keep going back expecting them to suddenly become interesting but they’re not.
I suspect that the person who designed the gardens didn’t know a lot about native or xeric gardening. There are nice plants there, but they’re not put together in an interesting way.
For example, bunchgrasses are an amazing addition to the xeric landscape. They’re drought tolerant and structurally interesting. When there’s not much else going on in the fall, grass inflorescences add drama and movement and interest. Grass foliage comes in all different colors and can range from very fine to thick and strappy.
The arboretum, however, has Muhlenbergia rigens, Festuca idahoensis, Mexican feather grass, a couple specimen Miscanthus, and that’s pretty much it. Don’t get me wrong, all these grasses are great and I have them in my own yard. They’re just stuck together in the most banal fashion at the arboretum.
If I asked about it, I’m sure they’d feed me some line about only doing natives, but that’s a crock. I have a friend who does native plant landscaping and he’s done some amazing spaces. Also, Mexican feather grass and a bunch of other stuff they have isn’t native to any of the areas they’re supposedly highlighting.
There’s really no excuse for being so weaksauce.
I would give them one star but the actual, individual plants are fine, so they get an extra star for that.

Not much of an arboretum fan. Only salvation from the heat was at the mist station at the bathrooms. The girl sitting at the Italian ice station was super bored looking just there reading her book. Didn’t even wash her hands before serving two gentlemen before me.
Oh and after leaving the arboretum and heading to the bathroom near the bridge, there was a watch out for rattlesnakes sign… and I don’t know about other people but that made me really scared to even use the bathroom let alone wash my hands where I could not see under the sink.

The only thing that could be more awesome is seeing this place in full bloom during the spring… and some misters in some of the more central resting areas for those of us who braved nearly 2 hours of blistering summer afternoon heat in order to thoroughly explore the gardens! However, I won’t «ding» this place for that as these gardens are clearly an ambitious undertaking.
Even without the springtime flowers, the colorful, interesting sculptures interspersed in various nooks and crannies make this place special. What’s so enthralling is that you often notice something new when you take another pass through the pathways. My favorite area is the Mosaic Oasis. I just love the relaxing rhythm and tonal qualities of the Mosaic Fountain so much that I would try to camp here if I were homeless! Really, I could tell that the artist designed this with great attention and care.
Unfortunately the pond is dried up over on the Willow Pond Trail. However, the gi-​normous cattails are quite a sight, and you can spot some mule deer here!

The garden and arboretum are fairly new into the club of public gardens in California and is notable not only for the Sundial Bridge but also the beautiful straightforward design.
The garden is arranged on both sides of a long central walk the divides it’s sub sections including Australian, South American, California Native, and Mediterranean gardens.
Highlights include the Perennial Companions garden at the south end, and the Celebration garden at the far north end.
During my visit both the small café and the garden shop were both closed and looked like they were going to stay that way. Nursery was closed as well but is open three days per week.
Overall the garden is a pleasant stroll and instructive in what plants will resist the deer that seem to overrun the garden at times.
On the down side, the collections are sparse and desperately need replanting and new signage. Labels were notably missing for the vast majority of plantings.
Overall: very good garden, worth a visit especially in spring!

These gardens are breathtaking if you like to see natures beauty. Beautiful gardens with so many different species of plants to look at. Beautiful kids mosaic gardens. An awesome water garden/​pond with small koi and huge polly wogs. There is also 2 types of water lilies, pink and white. Plenty of benches here n there to sit and take in all the beauty.
Lots of butterflies and bees, carpenter bees, humming birds drinking the nectar from the various flowers. OH! and spiders and all kinds of insects to look at. The main path isn’t very shady but if you swerve in and out of the side trails you will be in the shade. Its all mostly flat with dirt (and very small gravel) pathways. A stroller or wheeled divice would be just fine along the pathways.
At the entrance nearest to the Sundial Bridge there is usually an ice cream stand with a few drinks for sale. Plenty of covered tables and chairs to relax and enjoy your treat at.
Restrooms are located at both ends of the gardens.

McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens are a delightful set of gardens, located on the north bank of the Sacramento River, just west of the Sundial Bridge’s north landing. There is also a west entrance, with a parking lot, and also a nursery where plants can be bought.
We walked through part of the gardens one morning as we visited Redding, and enjoyed the tranquil grounds. We saw the California, South Africa and Pacific Rim gardens, including the «Sounds of Water» fountain, which had lots of educational facts about water usage. Also in the Pacific Rim garden was an exhibition of Penjing, the Chinese garden art of making mini-​landscapes with rock, plants, and water. While we were admiring the Penjing, we spied a deer on the other side of the fence, along the river front.
If you’re visiting the Sundial Bridge, take some time to check out the gardens as well for some lovely views, all part of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park.
During the summer, the gardens are open 9 – 5 daily, but during the winter, the gardens are closed Monday and Tuesday, and may close earlier on other days.