Balboa Park contains fifteen distinct botanical gardens within its 1,200 acres, ranging from formal rose beds to the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden (2,400 roses, best in April–May) to the Japanese Friendship Garden, which occupies eleven and a half acres in a canyon on the park's west side.
The Japanese Friendship Garden is the most elaborate, with a traditional dry garden, a tea pavilion, a bonsai exhibit, and a koi pond connected by stone paths. It charges a small admission fee; the other gardens are free. The Desert Garden near the Natural History Museum holds 1,300 cacti and succulents — many flowering in spring. The Alcazar Garden, modelled on the Seville Alcázar, is formal and geometric, planted with seasonal flowers.
The gardens require no planning beyond knowing they exist. The best approach is to walk the park's central axis from the Plaza de Balboa to the Organ Pavilion and divert into whichever gardens are visible from the path. The rose garden is worth a specific visit in peak season; the Japanese garden is worth the admission on any visit.