UC Riverside Botanical Gardens? (San Diego, Santa Ana: colleges, living, garden)

[KarlaT2]

I'm out in La Quinta area, and looking for some nice arboretums or botanical gardens somewhere close to here. I saw UCR had a garden. Has anyone been to it? Is it nice? Worth the drive?
Does anyone know of any others near Riverside county other than LA area?

[Gandalara]

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and the John R. Rodman Arboretum - (both near the Colleges) Claremont

College of the Desert Arboretum and the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens - both in Palm Desert

Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium - Palm Springs

Balboa Park Gardens - Balboa Park, San Diego

I'm pretty sure all of them have websites, so you can see if they're what you want.

[thaxil]

I use to go to UCR and I rarely visited it. Not very intresting, small and underfunded.

[Niners fan]

Doesn't the Wild Animal Park in Esconidio have a botanical garden? I remember walking through one that was pretty nice and I think that is where it was.

[KarlaT2]

Thanks for replies. I spend at least 2-3 a weeks at the COD one, and Civic Center park, so know about those, as well as Living Desert (one of my favorite places too). I'll look into Esconidio, and the one in Palm Springs. I didn't know about that one.