Climate-Ready Demonstration Gardens

All of the gardens and landscapes in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden are environmentally responsible. The demonstration gardens listed below were designed to serve as inspiration for those interested in learning about and creating their own sustainable landscapes. We offer many of the plants featured in these gardens at our seasonal plant sales. In addition, these gardens feature interpretive signage and plant markers to further educate our community.

Hummingbird GATEway Garden

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Hummingbird GATEway Garden was created in partnership with the UC Davis Hummingbird Health and Conservation Program to not only exhibit the many species of plants that attract and create a good habitat for local varieties of hummingbirds, but also to educate visitors about the importance of the hummingbird population and the work being done at UC Davis to support them.

Pollinator Garden

The Pollinator Garden is designed to attract and be a suitable habitat for pollinators, like bees, birds and butterflies. The garden, part of our Environmental GATEway which includes the nearby California Native Plant Meadow, Hummingbird GATEway Garden, and Arboretum Teaching Nursery, is also an integral part of the campuswide commitment to being pollinator-friendly (Bee Campus USA).

Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California Native Plants

The Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California Native Plants includes an extensive collection of native plants that work well in home landscapes, arrayed along meandering paths under stately oaks. The garden showcases a native meadow—a California-style lawn—and many Arboretum All-Stars, our recommended plants for Valley-wise gardens.

Arboretum Teaching Nursery

The Arboretum Teaching Nursery is a horticultural hub where teams of staff, students, and volunteers grow plants for the Arboretum collections and for plant sales.

California Native Plant Meadow

The California Native Plant Meadow is a sustainable landscape planted with California native grasses, sedges and wildflowers. It is part of the Environmental GATEway, which includes the nearby Hummingbird GATEway Garden, Pollinator Garden and Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Arboretum GATEway Garden

The Arboretum GATEway Garden is a connection point between the UC Davis campus and the City of Davis, showcasing local native plants in a striking modernist design. The garden celebrates our local natural and cultural heritage, with plants that are native to our local region (within 20 miles of this site).

Southwest U.S. and Mexican Collection

The Southwest U.S.A. and Mexican Collection includes trees, shrubs, and perennials adapted to heat and low rainfall. Many of these plants flower in summer, since they evolved with summer rains.

Ruth Risdon Storer Garden

The Ruth Risdon Storer Garden is a Valley-wise garden, featuring flowering perennials and small shrubs that are especially well suited to Central Valley gardens, including many Arboretum All-Stars, our recommended plants for Valley-wise gardens.

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