Blake Garden

Lovely grounds. Went for a gorgeous walk with my sweetie and fell in love with the place! I really loved the tall trees and the beautiful pool/​fountain.

Amazing, little-​known garden in the hills. I would highly recommend a trek up here if you are a garden lover looking for a hidden gem. Please see my pics for some of the flowers that are here.

Hidden in kensington. Such a beautiful garden with gorgeous views of the bay. Lots to see and many places to sit and relax.

I love this place. Wish they were open on weekends. But if you get a chance to spend some quiet time here, do come and check it out.

I feel so lucky to live next to this garden. During the week, my dog and I walk through this place and its extremely tranquil with wonder views. I’ve also had occasions where the staff took time to explain the history of the property and even loaned me a dodo bag for the dog when I ran out.

Brittany N’s review really made me want to visit this garden. I knew about it, however, I never realized what a great place it is to walk about in. Tucked away in a residential Kensington neighborhood it really seems like a hidden place. I felt like Mary Lennox in the «Secret Garden» when I walked in.
Some of the things that make this garden special: The view of the Golden Gate, the sounds of birds singing, the insects flying about, gnarly tree trunks, reflection pools and meandering paths to explore. The sweet garden smell that transported me back to my childhood.
The garden is only open on weekdays. It makes it a lot less crowed, but then people who work can not enjoy his special place. I guess I’m selfish, I like having the garden almost all to myself.

Reason for visit: Explorations!
Visit date: August 21, 2014
First time? Yes.
Blake Garden has been on my to-​go list for some time now, but since they are only open during regular work hours I had to plan a staycation day to visit. Today was that day. Parking was ample and the garden had just a few visitors sprinkled throughout the grounds.
There weren’t a lot of flowers on my visit, but I enjoyed exploring through the trails and finding koi ponds. I made sure to take in the view of the City, too. There are lots of places sit and relax, and to picnic. It’s a great place to stroll; actually, it felt more like an easy hike than a garden exploration. You can probably bring the kids as long as they don’t pick at the plants. There is a play/​build-​with-​nature area (beware of splinters!) for a more hands on experience, too.

I absolutely love this hidden gem. My mum introduced this secret garden to me when I was a little girl and I’ve been coming here since. It’s pretty magical. Take a stroll through the trails, read a book, or lay in the grass and day dream. It’s a nice place to unwind, have a moment to yourself. Or bring a friend, and appreciate it together! Lots of picture opportunities for photographers. Plus there’s a lovely view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Such a beautiful garden, go, you won’t be disappointed!

We had a blast here today. Many hidden areas to explore. Lots of space. Great views and many cool flowers. We saw dragonflies and enormous koi swimming in the pond near the house. Bring a snack and stay for awhile. It’s well protected from the wind and also offers plenty of shade if it gets too warm. We will definitely be back.

This is a striking garden that feels like a quilt of various smaller gardens. Owned and operated by UC Berkeley, this garden is popular among locals as a welcomed beautiful space and landscape architecture students as an example of various forms and styles of gardens. There are formal designs such as fountains with lines and angles, a community garden, a California native section in full bloom right now, a «wilderness» section with redwoods, and pockets of intimate secret gardens that radiate a sense of charm, mystery, and memory. The one qualm is that this place is open only open during the weekdays — but my landscape and horticulture class through UC Berkeley Extension was able to access it. They have helpful labels of the plants grown in the garden, and is able to curate a variety of garden design styles together into one cohesive and special place.

Hidden among the rustling old growth trees and quiet homes of Kensington, there is a garden. This garden hearkens back to the 1960s, when it served as the private residence and land of the President of the University of California. After 2009, the Blake House was abandoned and the gardens became a teaching ground for the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. It is now open to the public between the hours of 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday, and is closed on the weekends and university holidays.
As I strolled along the grassy path, I was immediately reminded of my childhood desire to frolic all day in a secret garden. Admittedly, I got a little giddy and my heart started beating juuust a little faster when I realized this was probably the closest thing to a secret European garden that I’ve ever been to!
I began my self-​tour of the gardens on the sharply sloped side of the Blake House. Here, the sun was ablaze with a fiery white glow off of the water facing the San Francisco Bay. My eyes scrunched up into little slits as I shaded my brow with my hand, gazing out to see the barely visible outline of the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. Warm, heat-​loving plants soaked up the rays with unwavering zeal, while a few leafy bushes below a rocky outcrop provided shade for two foraging warblers.
After watching the warblers and snapping some shots of the gorgeous red bark of a Manzanita tree, I wandered over to the more gently sloped, shadier side of the Blake House. Right outside the front door of the Blake House, there is an Italian-​style grotto with bowed staircases leading down to a long, rectangular, mirror-​like pool. Tiny ripples, disguised by the sun-​dappled reflections of the gnarled old oaks above, gave away the presence of brightly colored koi. It was fun watching them lazily swim through the still waters. Once the koi had dispersed, I peered into the mirror pool and caught a glimpse of my own reflection. It was like looking into a pensieve! From this grotto, I found multiple other pathways that wove through other parts of the garden with new plants and meditation pools.
Around 4:25pm, I realized my bucolic dream was about to end, as the gardens were about to close. I know it’s an overused term, but Blake Garden is a true gem. It’s gorgeous, it’s not so popular (right now), and it’s free. Come when you can, respect the space, and respect the quiet of the folks around you. It’s totally worth it :)

I am an El Cerrito Photographer, and learned about this location from clients who requested to be photographed here. What a joy it was! Simply breathless and there is tons of gorgeous grounds here that are well cared for and developed by UCB.
One could easily bring a picnic (small) a book, the kids and your pooches as long as they are on a leash (understandable as they can easily get lost here). Take a stroll through the gardens, trails, and trees it’s all so beautiful!
I am actually planning to bring my next clients here for their Kensington wedding photography.
Happay happay happay!

Gorgeous Garden. Relaxing and peaceful.
But whats up with the «private area» in which there is a path to a mattress that is in the ground… yeah, that happened. There is a mattress in the ground… kinda weird.

Blake House is perfect.

A true SECRET GARDEN… appropriately located on a street named ‘corner’.
Family friend lives just a few blocks away in the hills, and she brought us here to look about the UC grounds. School of Environmental Design does some stuff here… and the gardens as well as the edible plants are very calming.
Strolling along the paths weaving about the house give a person the time and space to center, and the small ponds and mini reflecting pool are very cool… as are the koi.
Too bad that the house itself is closed.
This place is only open during the weekdays. But doubtless, a treasure for those in the Berkeley/​Kensington area. I dare you to hike up here from near the base at San Pablo Ave.
Workout galore.

An absolute treasure.
The perfect spot for bringing the kiddos when you want to be outside but are tired of the playground. Little trails, koi ponds, a redwood grove, rocks to climb on, bits of nature to play with… A great spot to bring visitors– great views of the bay.
A magical spot. Go. You won’t be disappointed.

This garden is owned by UC Berkeley and there are student projects peppered throughout the 10 acres. Beautiful grounds. Only open during the weekdays to the public.

totally cool place, Dan the Icon took a few of us here, we had so much fun, the garden is nice, very serene and has a wonderful layout.
Mp’s take: check this place out

I still think this is a wonderful place to catch beautiful scenery, relax, and go on a peaceful stroll BUT please be smarter than we were and know the hours before you go. This place is NOT open on the weekends. :(
From their website:
Hours:
Open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Closed on weekends and University holidays.

I was at Blake Gardens today too! I guess I just missed Toni by a few hours. I hadn’t been to Blake Gardens for years. Today I went there with my friend, M, mostly to chat since I have limited walking ability.
We hiked down the trail behind the house where a bench (maybe the same one Toni sat at) dedicated to another mutual friend’s late sis and brother in law. It has a perfect view of the Bay. The visibility was unlimited!
We loved hanging out on the bench gossiping about co-​workers, sharing stories about our favorite movies and telling tales about our past. It’s fun to know someone for years and still find out a secret story about their past!
The flowers, butterflies, birds and squirrels were in abundance. I ALMOST felt like Snow White or Giselle from «Enchanted.» I’m sure if I broke into song I would have been surrounded by bird and animal friends. Or maybe I sat in the sun too long and was starting to hallucinate!
Blake Gardens is also known as the «Secret Garden» to some of us.
My friends who live nearby love to hike the trails with their kids, who feel like it is magical.