About

Entrance to the gardens are free, but there are parking fees to enter Lakeside Park on Bellevue Ave. Week days after 1:00 PM it is $2.00. On the weekends the parking fee is $5.00.  The gates to the gardens are open by 9:00 AM daily and the gates are closed at dusk in the winter and 6:00 PM for the rest of the year.

A Map of The Gardens At Lake Merritt

THE GARDEN COLLECTION

1. Bonsai Garden – One of the finest open-air bonsai collections in the United States, and the permanent home of more than 150 outstanding bonsai trees.

2. Community Garden – Large vegetable and flowerbeds showcase organic methods of food
production, and include gardening and composting demonstrations.

3. The Japanese Garden – Members of the Japanese American community constructed this garden, featuring a tranquil blend of water and plants, in 1959.

4. Mediterranean Garden – Installed in 2009, the centerpiece of this garden is the historic 1914
Easterbrook Fountain. Radiating pathways and colorful Mediterranean-climate plantings are featured.

5. The Lakeside Palmetum – Considered the most extensive established collection of cool Mediterranean and high altitude tropical palms in the United States.

6. Rhododendron Garden – Locally produced hybrids and selected plants from areas generally unavailable to botanists are highlighted.

7. Sensory Garden – The award-winning Sensory Garden underwent extensive renovation in 2006. The garden features colorful, drought tolerant Mediterranean and native plants.

8. Succulent Garden – An example of the beauty and variety of these water-wise plants.

9. The Torii Gate – The Torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine and marks the entrance to a sacred space. The original Torii Gate was a gift to the City of Oakland in 1969 from the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Fukuoka, Japan, Oakland’s sister city.

10. Vireya Display Garden – The largest outdoor collection of Vireya in the continental United States. Vireyas, a special kind of rhododendron native to islands between Asia and Australia, flower throughout the year in coastal California.

11. Bay Friendly Demonstration Garden – Teaches maintenance practices and plant selection supporting resource conservation and waste reduction.