The Friends & Family Courtyard of the San Francisco Botanical Garden is located behind the Botanical Library. It is a cozy and welcoming space enclosed by a low limestone wall which provides a place to rest for garden visitors. The design of the courtyard was a final project for a Landscape Design class at the CCSF Department of Horticulture, and was requested by the director of the garden.
The current design features a variety of colorful and familiar plants, which many of the visitors grow in their gardens. These hardy low-maintenance specimen – Lavender, Sage, Rock Rose, California Lilac, Hebe, Butterfly Bush, Camelia, Fuchsia, Tibouchina, and many succulents – feel like old friends, and add to the comfortable atmosphere of this garden. The color palette of playful pink and purple hues, spiced up by sprinkles of orange and yellow California Poppies, brings a smile to every face, and is especially enticing for children, who can pick the flowers in this perennial garden all year round.
