Greenhouse with View! Rose Terrace - Alcatraz Gardens

Volunteer efforts enliven the Gardens of Alcatraz Island

...in countless ways.

Photos © Copyright Alice Joyce - Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Recently... 
these delightful beds and paths have taken shape,

...not to mention a beautiful new greenhouse on the Rose Terrace.

The structure is dedicated to Carola Ashford, The Garden Conservancy's first project manager for restoration of the Alcatraz gardens. The greenhouse fits inside the foundation of the original. In November 2009 volunteers started work, and by mid-February they had completed the task!

Link to:

The Garden Conservancy

Alcatraz Historic Gardens

Snowy Egrets! The Gardens of Alcatraz Island

Restoration of the historic Alcatraz Island gardens is ongoing.

The island is reached via a short ferry ride from San Francisco.

On a recent trip to see the lush spring bloom throughout the Gardens of Alcatraz,

I took countless photos that must be sorted and labeled.

Look for an in-depth feature to appear very soon on: Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

One delightful aspect of the tour: An opportunity to peek through the vegetation and see the fluffy feathers of young Snowy Egrets!

Sorry, but it was impossible to get a good photo, as the birds are ensconced in such dense thickets.

As the sign mentions, the egrets are able to find plenty of food in tidepools and at island's edge.

No problem getting close to the seagulls!

Getting there: http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

To learn more about visiting the gardens: www.alcatrazgardens.org

Click here: Gardens of Alcatraz on Bay Area Tendrils Garden Travel

Historic Gardens of Alcatraz - A Garden Conservancy Project

Westside gardens

Photos by Elizabeth Byers

Spring 2008

The Historic Gardens of Alcatraz

- a project of the Garden Conservancy - recently received two awards from the California Preservation Foundation.

Alcatraz staff family in an Officers' Row garden, circa 1869

Photo by Eadweard Muybridge, Bancroft Library

Roadside Gardens, 2009

The Garden Conservancy became involved in 2003 with spearheading the rehabilitation of the heritage gardens on The Rock: now a National Historic Landmark,

and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 22-acre island, part of the National Park Services Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is the GGNRA's most visited site, with some 1.3 million annual visitors

hopping a ferry ride from San Francisco to see Alcatraz first-hand.

Officers' Row, 2009

A brilliant team of volunteers have gardened and toiled

to restore the uniquely stunning landscape.

A tour is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure! The gardens shown to you within the context of history, horticulture, and cultural significance.