Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will celebrate 100 years as the first botanic garden in the United States dedicated exclusively to native plants.
Since its founding in 1926, the garden has remained rooted in one guiding principle: that native plants are essential for the health and well-being of both people and the planet.
From its visionary beginnings and collaborations with world-renowned scientists and designers to its rebirth following the 1964 Coyote Fire and the 2009 Jesusita Fire, the garden’s century-long story reflects resilience, innovation, and a connection to community.
To access the garden’s Centennial Celebration page for details, visit SBBotanicGarden.org/100years/ .
“As we begin our second century, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden stands not only as one of our community’s treasured assets, but as a statewide leader demonstrating how native plants are essential to sustaining life on this planet,” said Steve Windhager, executive director of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
“The work happening here – from botanical and horticultural research and rare plant conservation to inspiring and training the next generation of conservation leaders — is made possible by a dedicated and deeply talented team of staff and volunteers,” garden officials said. “But it’s also carried forward by our community, who have embraced the garden as a place of learning, connection, and refuge for generations.
Our centennial honors that shared legacy and inspires what we will achieve together in the next 100 years.”
The centennial year will offer a calendar of community activities, exhibits and celebrations that invite visitors to explore the garden’s living collection, learn about native plants, and mark a century of conservation leadership.
Some highlights:
13th Annual Conservation Symposium, Jan. 31, presented by the Nakashima-Rennie family.
Focused on the theme Planting With Purpose, the event will honor entomologist and best-selling author Doug Tallamy with the 2026 Honorable John C. Pritzlaff Conservation Award.
“Known for the books “Nature’s Best Hope” and “Bringing Nature Home,” Tallamy has become one of the most compelling voices in native plant gardening,” organizers said.
Tallamy will address biodiversity loss and the powerful role native plants play in reversing ecological decline.
The garden’s conservation department will share updates from its fieldwork across the West Coast and Channel Islands demonstrating the critical role of native plants in sustaining the diversity of native insects, birds, and other wildlife.
To register, click here.
Launch of the Native Plant Pledge
Beginning in January, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will launch a Native Plant Pledge, inviting the public to join the movement for native plant conservation. The goal is to have 10,000 people make the pledge and take meaningful action in support of native plants in 2026.
Debut of the Centennial Route
A new curated route will guide visitors through Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s most historic sites, including the Blaksley Boulder, a remnant of the Pleistocene debris flows, named in honor of founding supporter Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss; the redwood grove, planted in 1930; and the LEED-certified Pritzlaff Conservation Center, built in 2016 after the Jesusita Fire burned 80% of the grounds.