DonateBecome a Native Plant Steward
Every yard, garden, and shared space can support biodiversity. Join the native plant movement and discover how your actions, big or small, can protect wildlife, build resilient communities, and create lasting change across California.
Powered by awesome stewards like you!
Shannon Brooks - $
Jaime Eschette - $
Joaquin Gonzales - $
Allie Mandel - $
Melissa Ha-Navarro - $
Lindsay Dill - $
Nathan Williamson - $
This year, the Garden celebrates 100 years of conserving California’s native plants. Join us for hands-on crafts and activities that honor our history and look ahead to the next century of native plant science and advocacy.
The first 100 participants will receive a free native plant to take home.
This event is free with admission. Reservations encouraged. 🌿
Learn more: https://bit.ly/49ic3BC
This is the Coast Barberry (Berberis pinnata), also known as wavyleaf barberry. This evergreen shrub has glossy, holly-like leaves and in late-winter to spring bursts into clusters of yellow flowers, later producing round, purple, grape-like berries.
Seasonal Note: Right now in the Garden, you’ll notice Coast Barberry showing off red-tinged leaves, but no berries. The fruiting season has passed, leaving behind its colorful foliage as the standout feature at this time of year.
Habitat Perks: When in bloom, Coast Barberry supports pollinators, and its fruits - though sour and seedy—are enjoyed by wildlife and can even be used by people to make dye or tart preserves. Its dense, colorful root system also makes it useful for slope and bank stabilization.
Note: it’s also ridiculously pokey! Place in an area where you won`t brush up against it or where you don`t want people to go!
Growing Tips: This shrub is slow-growing but rewarding, reaching up to 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It tolerates sun or shade, needs little water once established, and adapts well to many soils, including clay and serpentine.
We hope this helps you spot Coast Barberry in the Garden and notice how its seasonal shifts - red leaves in fall, blooms in winter, berries in spring—keep it interesting year-round.
Discover smart ways to capture and use water efficiently with Nature Educator, Alejandro Lemus! From rainfall to runoff, learn practical tips to make every drop count in your garden.
Learn more tips and tricks through the link in bio.
From our 12th Annual Conservation Symposium and hands-on volunteer days to welcoming new casitas, this year was one of growth, connection, and impact at the Garden.
As we gear up to celebrate our centennial, let’s reflect on how far we’ve come and look forward to what’s next. 🌱
As the year ends, we want to take a moment to remind you that there are several ways to support Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and help us finish the year strong.
Make a direct donation
Gifts of any amount support conservation research, seed banking, education programs, and landscape projects across California.
Join our Year-End Auction
Bid on unique experiences, original art, rare native plants, and special Garden packages.
Consider tax-smart giving options
• Donor Advised Funds
• Gifts of appreciated stock or securities
• IRA charitable rollovers for those age 70½ and older
However you choose to give, your support makes a real difference. Thank you for helping prepare the Garden for its next 100 years.
Give here:
https://bit.ly/4prsNwk
Before the year ends, we invite you to support the work happening every day at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
Your gift helps:
• Introduce children to native plants through summer camp
• Support volunteers caring for the Garden
• Provide researchers access to important plant collections
• Help community members learn wildfire-ready landscaping practices
• Train landscaping professionals to better care for native plant gardens
Together, we are growing a stronger native plant community and protecting California’s biodiversity for future generations.
Make a year-end gift by December 31:
https://bit.ly/4prsNwk
As we close out the year, with three days left of 2025, your support will help us meet our goals!
• Nearly 110,000 people visited the Garden to experience California native plants.
• 300 community members attended our first wildfire preparedness forum.
• More summer camp scholarships were awarded to underserved youth.
• A free certification course launched for Spanish-speaking landscaping professionals.
• 270,000 rare plant seeds were added to our Conservation Seed Bank.
• Four major landscape transformation projects moved forward.
• Hundreds of hours of field surveys strengthened our conservation research
As we approach our centennial, your year-end gift helps carry this work forward.
Give through the link in bio.
