A trip to this cemetery makes for a very interesting day trip. This Sacramento landmark was founded in 1849 by  Captain John Sutter who gave 10 acres of land to the city as a gift to be used for a cemetery.  You will find John Sutter’s grave there as you enter the grounds.

The interesting thing about this cemetery is that the grounds are done in the style of the Victorian gardens that were popular when it was first established.

As you wander around the grounds you will see a variety of trees and plants.  There are cypress, palm, redwood and oak trees. You will find lavenders, bottlebrush, daylily, iris, oleander, oak leaf hydrangeas, penstemons and so much more.

The most popular garden is the Old World Rose Garden. The Heritage Rose Group has been collecting, maintaining and planting these rose’s some dating back to the 1850’s. There are rose’s there that have been found in the foot hills, and old mining towns. Unfortunately, we were to late to see them in bloom, as most true old world rose’s bloom only once.  The best time to see them I think would be in late April or early May.

Most of this cemetery is divided into sections, such as the Old Soldier’s plot, the Grand Army Plot, remember it is an old cemetery.  In the Pioneer Gardens, all the plants there were said to have grown in the pioneer days.  Here you will see geraniums, and grasses in this section.