:: Education & Programs ::

Education & Programs

Elementary Program

The Garden offers a two-hour field trip program that meets the California curriculum standards for the third grade. When students arrive they are divided into small groups and rotate through a series of stations that introduce them to local history, flowers and pollinators, propagation, and water storage in plants. Afterward the students take a stroll through the garden to learn about ethnobotany. Each student plants a seed and a succulent cutting to take home. Field trips are offered in the spring and fall. The cost is $5 per student.

This program is sponsored by the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

College Internship Program

The Garden offers internships to college students in the areas of horticulture, landscape architecture or design, botany, scientific illustration, and related fields. Interns will receive hands-on training and experience in the areas of plant propagation and nursery production, greenhouse management, landscape management, interpretive education, and plant inventory and/or database management.

Download Internship Overview
Download Internship Application

Adult Education Programs

The Garden offers an array of workshops, classes, and seminars for the home gardener and horticulture/green industry professional. These programs range from special tours of The Garden with Assistant Garden Director Brian Kemble to all-day Dry Garden Design Seminars. For updated information on these programs, please visit our Calendar of Events.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc. is to preserve this exceptional example of garden design and to continue to develop its collection of water-conserving plants for the education and enjoyment of the public.

Centennial Celebration

If ever there was a time to celebrate, 2008 is it! This year marks the 100th birthday of The Garden's Founder Ruth Bancroft. If you would like to get involved in this historic endeavor, you can help by contributing to the Centennial Fund or by attending on of our many special events this year.