Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens: The only public garden in the continental United States fronting directly on the ocean, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens offers everything from colorful displays to thunderous waves.

During Heritage Days, enjoy a docent led tour of the Parrish Homestead and the Heritage Rose Gardens on May 22nd from 1–2:30 pm. Reservations are suggested; call 707-964-4352.

Parrish Homestead (1893): David and Sarah Parrish and 10 kids moved to Ft. Bragg to raise potatoes and peas on the ocean bluffs—they built the farmhouse. Parrish had worked with Luther Burbank; some apple trees from the old Parrish orchard still stand near the Vegetable Garden and are thought to be some of the original Gravenstein hybrids developed by Burbank at that time.

The original farmhouse still exists, minus the large back porch and privy. Ernest and Betty Schoefer, founders of the Gardens, lived there from 1961-1976. A few of the trees from the old orchard remain near the Vegetable Garden and still produce apples. The large barn became a safety hazard and was demolished in the 1990s, but the family cemetery plot is still maintained by Gardens staff and volunteers.

Heritage Roses: Over 100 roses are in the Heritage Rose Garden. These roses were donated by rosarians Virginia Hopper and Joyce Demits beginning in the early 1990s. Virginia started collecting old roses in the early 1970s. Almost all of the roses in the Heritage Rose Collection were found in Mendocino County. Most were hybridized from the 1830s to the early 1900s and were brought here by immigrants via ship or covered wagon. A few were brought to Europe from China, and then to America. Rosa wichuriana made its way here from Japan in the late 1800s. Many of the modern climbing roses are descended from this rose, which is found in many old cemeteries in Mendocino County. These immigrant roses were planted near homesteads or in cemeteries or escaped into the wild. Many survived decades of neglect before being brought to the Gardens. ‘Homestead Hybrid China’ is a shrub rose that was collected just before an old homestead site in Vista Point was made into a parking lot. ‘MacCallum House Tea’ was found at the historic MacCallum House in the town of Mendocino. The ‘Crepe Rose’ escaped from homestead gardens and has naturalized throughout Mendocino County. Its bright pink blooms are a common sight in early summer.