Woodland Garden

Typical peak interest | March through June

The Woodland Garden at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is a cool, shaded sanctuary that highlights the plants best suited to our coastal climate of fog, moisture, and mild temperatures. Pools of cool air gather here, creating a microclimate where shade- and moisture-loving plants thrive in abundance.

This garden has evolved steadily over decades through careful planting and collection-building. Its backbone is formed by the native wax myrtles (Morella californica) and shrubs that anchor the design and provide habitat for wildlife. Collections of maples and magnolia species to bring seasonal drama—from delicate spring blossoms to brilliant fall foliage. Rhododendrons and azaleas extend throughout this area of the Gardens. Many of these were planted in the Gardens’ early decades and have now matured into impressive specimens that dominate the understory each spring. Ferns, including the western sword fern (Polystichum munitum), and native groundcovers such as redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana) create lush carpets beneath. In wetter pockets, large-leaved Gunnera tinctoria thrives in the damp soils here. Its massive spiky umbrella-like foliage creates bold accents and provides dramatic contrast to the finer textures of ferns and horsetail.

Special collections give the Woodland Garden its unique character. The Fuchsia Dell flourishes in the moist, foggy air. An integrated display of carnivorous plants, including the native California Pitcherplant (Darlingtonia californica), adds a touch of the unusual, showcasing the remarkable adaptations plants evolve to survive in nutrient-poor soils.

Wildlife is an integral part of the garden’s story. Rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) wander slowly through the moist understory, while native and migratory songbirds use the layered vegetation for food, nesting, and shelter.

For plant enthusiasts, the Woodland Garden offers a living library of species adapted to coastal woodland conditions and carefully curated collections of maples, magnolias, rhododendrons, and fuchsias. For the casual visitor, it is simply a beautiful place to wander—an immersive landscape where cool air, winding paths, and unexpected discoveries invite you to lose yourself in the quiet artistry of plants.

Carnivorous Plant Display

The Carnivorous Plant Display lurks deep in the heart of the Woodland Garden at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. These exotic plants exist in wet, nutrition-poor environments, and therefore have evolved to supplement their diets by trapping and eating insects.

Our inventive Gardeners used re-purposed wine barrels (North Coast Brewing Company donated a slew of barrels to the Pack Rat Yard Sale) to create a home for the new display. Brad Williams, owner and operator of Fort Bragg Carnivores, donated a majority of the plants, offered his expertise in designing a suitable home for the plants, and helped with the planting. A peat moss and sand mixture creates the boggy acidic environment necessary for them to thrive. We loaded the bottom half of the barrels with perlite to fill in the extra space not needed by these shallow rooting plants.

Rebecca Andrade donated additional Venus flytraps, forked sundews, and pitcher plants to the display in the spring of 2024. She even lent a hand planting these beauties in their new home.

We ask that you DO NOT TOUCH the plants in order to keep them healthy and happy. The extra work from opening and closing without any nutrients to consume can weaken and kill the carnivorous wonders.