The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society is working hard to bring a new Nursery: Center for Sustainable Gardening to the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. Working in partnership with the Garden and San Francisco's Recreation & Park Department, the Society focuses on providing outstanding botanical, horticultural, and environmental education opportunities in addition to generating support from private donors, corporations, and foundations.

The new Nursery: Center for Sustainable Gardening, if approved, will replace the existing antiquated nursery with a state-of-the art facility targeted at the LEED Platinum level and constructed with renewable materials that will have a living roof, rainwater collection and recycling system and serve as a teaching tool for the City’s maintenance staff and residents interested in sustainable building and gardening practices. Elements will include a greenhouse, headhouse and shadehouse as well as outdoor growing grounds and an outdoor learning area. The Center will also include public restrooms, office and meeting space for Botanical Garden staff, City Gardeners and volunteers. The total size will be 9,830 square feet, though it may be expanded later to a total of approximately 11,150 sq. ft.

The Nursery/Center for Sustainable Gardening will be located in the southwestern edge of the Botanical Garden, near the current Children's Garden, Redwood Trail and proposed Southeast Asian Cloud Forest Garden. The site of the existing greenhouse will be replanted as an extension of the California Native Plant Garden.

The Botanical Garden Society is going through the City's environmental review process and Planning Department approval and hopes to begin construction in the winter of 2009/2010. Elements of the project will be reviewed by several entities including the Recreation & Park Commission, Civic Design Review Subcommittee of the Arts Commission, Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.

The facility will give all San Francisco residents an opportunity to see and experience the “working heart” of the Garden as well as bolster the growing activities for newly renovated gardens in a more climate appropriate location. The improved facilities will also help provide better educational opportunities for the more than 10,000 San Francisco Unified School District children who currently participate in the Garden's educational activities.

The Society is continually reaching out to neighborhood and environmental organizations to share information with them about this exciting project. If you are interested in hearing a presentation or learning more, please contact Dan Eckels at deckels@sfbotanicalgarden.org.