Sonoma County is home to lots of famous people, Fred MacMurray, Harry Morgan, Charles Schulz, Robert
Ripley, Raymond Burr, Joe Montana and more. Although fun to see, and claim as local residents, none have left an impact on the county as Luther Burbank.
Luther Burbank was a botanist and horticulturist who came to America from England he developed a better potato call the Burbank Potato. Burbank sold the rights to his potato and $150 and used the money to travel to America, where he settled in Santa Rosa at age 26. He found Santa Rosa to have the perfect growing season, weather, and soils. Burbank used his home and an experimental garden in Sebastopol to create and improve over 800 species of flowers, fruits and vegetables. Some of his better known varieties are:
- The Burbank potato
- Spineless cactus
- shasta daisy
- Santa Rosa plum
He died in 1926 at age 77. The Santa Rosa rose parade was in honor of all Luther Burbank
contributed to Sonoma County. March 7this celebrated in California as Arbor day which is Luther Burbank's birthday.
Luther Burbanks house is a registered California landmark. It is free to come walk around and visit the garden. Tours of the house are available for a small donation.
The gardens are open daily in the winter 8 - 5pm and summer 8 -7pm.
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