Welcome to the UC Davis Arboretum

The UC Davis Arboretum is a living museum and a refuge of great beauty where visitors can step away from their busy lives and reconnect with nature. Visitors may wander through the Arboretum on their own or join public tours. The Arboretum gardens are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and there is no charge for admission.

Arboretum staff and volunteers promote sustainable gardening practices and environmentally-friendly garden plants, build and maintain important plant collections, teach children to love the natural world, and develop new leaders in the environmental sciences.

The Arboretum has something for everyone:

  • 100 acres of beautiful gardens for active recreation or peaceful contemplation
  • Winding paths for walkers, joggers, or bicyclists, benches where visitors can sit and enjoy the view, and picnic tables for casual gatherings
  • Documented plant collections for teaching and research
  • Exhibits and demonstration plantings where visitors can learn about sustainable gardening for the Central Valley
  • Guided tours, family programs, classes and workshops led by UC Davis experts
  • Public plant sales at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery offering great plants for Central Valley home gardens

Would you like periodic updates from the Arboretum? To sign up for the bimonthly e-mail newsletter from the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum, The Leaflet, click here to send us a message. Be sure to write LEAFLET in the subject line.

News: Click to learn how you can support the Arboretum through our current Annual Appeal and special opportunities to dedicate tiles in Nature's Gallery.


Saturday, November 21
Guided Tour: Fall Pruning for the Home Gardener
10 a.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive
Learn the finer points of fall pruning—easy techniques that anyone can use to enhance the form and beauty of plants. This is a reschedule of the same tour originally advertised for November 14.

Saturday, November 21
Guided Tour: Native American Uses of Plants
11 a.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road
Tour the new Native American Garden and learn about local plants and their traditional uses for food, shelter, medicine, tools, and more.

Saturday, December 5
Guided Tour: Gardens, Art, and the Environment
11 a.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road
Take an offbeat tour of the East End of the Arboretum with a self-described “maverick” docent who combines gardening know-how with an artist’s eye and environmental concern. Cross boundaries as you experience the sights, sounds and smells of the garden.