Affectionately known as "Cal Hort" to its members, the Society is the oldest plant association in California. In the winter of 1933 an unusually frigid air mass withered gardens in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. A small group of concerned gardeners met to compare plant survival information, and they became the nucleus of the present Society.

On the third Monday of every month (except December) at 7:15 p.m., members meet in the County Fair Building at The San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum for exciting monthly slide/lecture programs by expert guest speakers, followed by the Plant Forum, a presentation of plants brought in by members for discussion. A drawing of some of the best and newest plants donated by sponsoring nurseries rounds out the evening. Gardeners, professional nurserymen, amateurs and academics all meet to share plant information and experiences. In the past 66 years, over 6,000 different species of plants have been shown and discussed.

Many years ago, the need for an outstanding garden magazine dealing with the Pacific coast made itself known. At the time, Cal Hort's Bulletin was filling that need in a stop-gap sort of way, but was limited to the state of CA. In response to this need, Pacific Horticulture magazine was born and is still a stunning example of beautiful garden photography coupled with excellent and expert articles accessible to professional and lay-gardeners, alike. In fact, we at Cal Hort feel Pacific Horticulture to be such an important and worthy publication that each Cal Hort membership includes a yearly subscription to Pacific Horticulture.