What's Blooming
A season-by-season guide to the park's flowers
Something is always in bloom in Golden Gate Park. San Francisco's mild winters and foggy summers give the park a flowering calendar unlike most of the country: magnolias in February, tulips in March, roses in June, dahlias at the end of summer. Timing shifts a week or two from year to year with the weather, so treat the dates below as a guide.
At a glance
Magnolias: San Francisco Botanical Garden, January to March, best in February
Tulips: Queen Wilhelmina Garden, by the Dutch Windmill, March to mid-April
Cherry blossoms: Japanese Tea Garden, mid-March to early April
Rhododendrons: John McLaren Rhododendron Dell, March to May
Roses: Rose Garden, mid-May through June
Dahlias: Dahlia Dell, late August to early September
Fall color: Japanese Tea Garden, late fall
Tropical plants: Conservatory of Flowers, year-round
Winter (December to February)
Winter is magnolia season. The San Francisco Botanical Garden holds one of the most important magnolia collections in the country, and the big trees near the main gate start flowering in January. By February the pink and white blossoms are at their best, and photographers come from all over the Bay Area.
On a cold, gray day, the Conservatory of Flowers is the warmest place in the park. Its orchids and tropical plants bloom all year.
Spring (March to May)
Spring is the park's busiest flowering season.
Tulips. About 10,000 tulips fill the Queen Wilhelmina Garden at the foot of the Dutch Windmill each spring, usually peaking in March. Icelandic poppies bloom alongside them.
Cherry blossoms. The cherry trees in the Japanese Tea Garden usually bloom from mid-March into early April. Weekday mornings are the least crowded.
Rhododendrons. The John McLaren Memorial Rhododendron Dell, on JFK Drive near 6th Avenue, turns pink, red, and white from March into May. Look for the statue of McLaren himself, examining a pine cone.
Irises and wisteria follow in the Tea Garden in May.
Summer (June to August)
The Rose Garden peaks from mid-May through June, when its 64 beds are full and each variety is labeled. Smaller flushes continue through the summer.
The Dahlia Dell begins blooming in June. By August it's one of the best free flower shows in the city.
Fall (September to November)
The Dahlia Dell is at its peak in late August and early September and keeps going into October. San Francisco made the dahlia its official city flower in 1926.
Later in the fall, the Japanese maples in the Tea Garden turn deep red and gold. Combined with the pagoda and the koi ponds, it's one of the prettiest scenes in the park.