How do you say thanks for 150 years of support?
For the San Diego Natural History Museum, which marks its sesquicentennial in 2024, there’s no better way than to present a birthday gift of its own to the community in a way that brings people closer to nature: A new, immersive public garden in Balboa Park centered on the region’s native plants.
Nature Trail at The Nat, which makes its debut June 29, is a 22,000-square-foot outdoor exhibit — and free amenity — designed to showcase the plants and how they support the remarkable biodiversity found within San Diego County.
Trail visitors of all ages can explore the exhibit in a series of themed pocket gardens, pathways and plantings that surround the museum building. It is approximately two-tenths of a mile and is fully ADA accessible, with a mix of decomposed granite paths and concrete sidewalks.
Next weekend’s launch will coincide with an outdoor Garden Fair that begins at 10 a.m. Saturday to celebrate the opening of the interpretive trail. The fair will provide opportunities to learn more about native plants and habitats for pollinators, with multiple organizations participating.
“Our hope is that this garden will inspire everyone to plant native plants, low-water plants,” said staff horticulturist Carla Quimson, who oversees the garden’s care and maintenance.
She is enthusiastic about the possibilities for visitor engagement within the living display, including new tours to help fifth graders learn about regional biodiversity in Balboa Park by seeing real-life examples. Pop-up events also are planned for the public.
Quimson will have help from a small army of volunteers in The Nat Garden Corps, part of a joint effort between the museum and the nonprofit Forever Balboa Park.
“We have 46 volunteers who just graduated and we’re planning another class in January,” she said.
Volunteers with The Nat Garden Corps spent six weeks learning about the history of the garden and the San Diego Natural History Museum, according to Quimson. In addition to handling garden maintenance, weeding and pruning, they’ll provide interpretative help in various pocket gardens and during pop-ups.
“There are six pocket gardens,” Quimson said. “It’s all outdoors — and free to view — but there are some elements inside the museum that tie into it, like the ‘Coast to Cactus in Southern California’ permanent exhibit indoors.
“We hope it entices them to come inside and learn more.”
A look at the pocket gardens:
First Peoples’ Garden
“We partnered with the Barona Band of Mission Indians, who guided us in what plants to choose,” Quimson said. “Indigenous peoples are the first users of our native plants.”
Incorporating Kumeyaay knowledge of and uses for native plants was a key part of the process in developing the garden. The space will feature the tactile and fragrant aspects of plant species and will explore how they are used for food, fiber and medicine. Portions of the trail’s signs and online content were crafted with help from the Barona Cultural Center and Museum and the youths at Barona Indian Charter School.
Among the native plantings is a coast live oak tree (Quercus agrifolia) that, when fully grown, will be 20 to 70 feet tall. Online plant resource CalScape describes the coast live oak as “a cornerstone for wildlife and the surrounding ecosystem,” and getting the tree has been a point of pride for Quimson.
“I’m so happy that we have one, and in 10 to 20 years, it will give us the shade and canopy,” she said.
Wildlife Walkway
The walkway, which also is the ADA accessible entrance to the garden, includes lush understory plantings and focuses on riparian plants, which can take less water or more water as needed — meaning they can adapt to both drought and flooding.
The garden shows how plants that are resilient can provide food and shelter for wildlife when extreme weather hits.
It is just across the lawn from the landmark Moreton Bay fig, a giant marvel of a tree that was planted as a small sapling during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.
Discovery Trail and Boulder Garden
The new Discovery Trail, a “gateway for garden explorers,” connects the fig tree lawn with The Nat building and introduces beneficial native plants that display the region’s rich biodiversity. Following the transition from coastal San Diego to the desert, the trail culminates in a collection of boulders just outside the museum’s north doors.
The Boulder Garden will be a regular stop during the tours for fifth-grade students. Students will be able to hop around on the boulders, Quimson said, which can offer informal seating and space for activities. Meanwhile, youths also can learn about drought tolerant plants that are suitable for desert living.
Spiny Sidewalk
Along the east side of the museum, an assortment of large-scale succulents, cacti and other similar plants will be elevated in planters.
With the prickly native species settled into a safe perch, visitors can get close — but not too close — for an optimal photo op.
Pollinator Paradise
This pocket garden offers inspiration for creating a habitat that draws the bees, birds and butterflies that help enrich our home landscapes, too.
“If we plant these plants, our specialized native pollinators will come,” Quimson said.
One of her favorites is Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii), whose lavender-topped blooms emit an unmistakable fragrance. “It’s arguably the best smelling sage out there,” she said.
The pollinator garden will honor Betty Peabody, a volunteer at Balboa Park for more than 50 years and a founder of Friends of Balboa Park.
Container Corner
How do you choose the right container plant for your location or know what type of container is best? How do you plan for proper drainage?
The Container Corner is a demonstration garden designed to give visitors insight into answering all of those questions and more, proving that no garden is too small.
“It shows that even in a small space, you can add to green corridors and have biodiversity,” Quimson said.
Nature Trail at The Nat’s garden project received funding from private donations and involved partnerships with the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, Barona Band of Mission Indians, Forever Balboa Park, Spurlock Landscape Architects, and plant and garden advisors in the region.
The Nat Garden Fair
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 29
Where: San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park
Details: See the new Nature Trail at The Nat, an immersive public garden with native plants from Southern California and the Baja California peninsula. Learn about planting native, pick up seeds to jumpstart your garden, enter raffles and play a giant game of Chutes & Ladders.
Resources: Learn about The Nat Garden Corps and Canyoneer involvement and meet The Nat’s community partners and conservation groups, including Barona Cultural Center, California Native Plant Society, Climate Science Alliance, Expediciones Botánicas, Forever Balboa Park, Master Gardener Association of San Diego County, San Diego Canyonlands and the San Diego Pollinator Alliance.
Cost: Free, does not require museum admission. However, guests are invited to visit The Nat for exhibits on local wildlife and habitats and to see its new film “T. REX,” opening in the Giant Screen Theater.
Info: (877) 946-7797 and sdnhm.org