The San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas covers 37 acres on a coastal canyon, with collections focused on plants from the world's five Mediterranean climate zones: California, Chile, South Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, and Australia. The Australasian collection is among the best on the West Coast — banksias, grevilleas, and eucalypts in a context that shows how closely the California and Australian floras parallel each other.
The Hamilton Children's Garden is a multi-acre interactive space for children, with a treehouse structure and water features. The succulent and cacti collection occupies the sunniest slopes. The bamboo garden and the Mediterranean garden fill the sheltered canyon sections.
The garden is in Encinitas, 30 miles north of downtown San Diego — closer to La Jolla and Torrey Pines, making it natural to combine with a Torrey Pines visit. The coastal location means the temperature stays moderate year-round; the garden is genuinely pleasant even in summer when inland San Diego is hot.