Sustainable Demonstration Garden

Sustainable 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.

 

Image of the UC Davis Arboretum Ruth Risdon Storer Garden in spring with giant purple alliums blooming.

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.
Image of Biological Orchard and Garden at UC Davis showing the orchard in the background with drought-tolerant plants in the foreground.

Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden

The Biological Orchard and Garden (BOG) is a hub for outdoor learning. The drought-tolerant plants that grow there are all from Mediterranean regions with similar summer-dry climates as Davis, including the Mediterranean, South Africa, Chile and Australia. The beds demonstrate the diversity of plants that can grow in the Sacramento Valley and provide students and campus visitors with a variety of species to observe and study.
Image of the original California lawn demonstration garden in the UC Davis Arboretum's Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California native plants.

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 Terrace Garden and Lois Crowe Patio

Arboretum Terrace Garden and Lois Crowe Patio

The Arboretum Terrace Garden and Lois Crowe Patio (part of the Davis Commons Shopping Center in Downtown Davis) is a Mediterranean-style garden for California’s Central Valley, featuring vine-covered pergolas, decorative paving, container plantings, small sustainable landscapes, multiple seating options including tables and chairs, and more. 
Image of UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

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.
Image of the UC Davis Arboretum GATEway Garden.

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). 
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