California State University Northridge Botanic Garden, University botanical garden in Northridge, United States.
The California State University Northridge Botanic Garden is a botanical garden on the university campus in Northridge, in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. The grounds bring together trees, palms, shrubs, perennials, cacti, and edible plants arranged in themed sections across the site.
The garden was founded in 1959 with a focus on plants native to California, and its collections grew steadily over the following decades. Four greenhouses were added over time to support the expanding needs of teaching and research on campus.
The garden is closely tied to university courses, and students often work among the plants as part of their studies. Labels and signs throughout the space explain how plants are grouped and what they are used for, giving any visitor an easy entry into botany.
The garden is open on weekdays and does not charge admission, but parking on the university campus requires a fee, so plan ahead. Because it sits on an active campus, weekday mornings tend to be the busiest time to visit.
The garden holds one of the last orange groves from the 1920s, when citrus covered much of the San Fernando Valley. Rows of tall eucalyptus, planted in the late 19th century as windbreaks for farmland, still line the campus edges. In November 2018 CSUN became a Bee Campus USA affiliate, and unused corners were planted for pollinators in 2020.
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