The UC Davis Arboretum is one of the most beautiful, calming places to go and enjoy nature. As a student, I spent about five and a half years at UC Davis, and honestly wish that I would have spent more time taking advantage of the arboretum while I was there. I have, however, gone back multiple times just to go for a walk or bike ride around the arboretum. (If you are not familiar with Davis, the town is made to accommodate bikes, so bikes are welcome along all of the paths. Also, the arboretum crosses between two sections of campus, so students can bike through certain sections during passing time.) We just went back last weekend to enjoy all of the spring flowers!
Table of Contents
What is the UC Davis Arboretum?
The UC Davis Arboretum that is meant for public use consists of approximately 3.5 miles worth of different plant collections. The plants are grouped based on their native location, climate zone, different plant groups or some sort of other specific theme. It is essentially a free public garden, where anyone can come to learn about different plants. And, if you plan accordingly and enjoy the plants you see, you can even buy some to take home at the plant sales that they hold.
Our Experience Visiting the UC Davis Arboretum!
Although I have been there multiple times, I still seem to get excited each time we go because there is always something different in bloom to enjoy and appreciate. I have highlighted some of the spring plants in bloom at the arboretum that we enjoyed below.
You can see additional photos of the Redbud Collection here. These are so beautiful! I actually went back and was looking through my arboretum photos that I have taken throughout the years (I went there more after college than when I was in college), and I found the most beautiful picture of my then-boyfriend posing in front of the Redbud trees because they were just as beautiful to me then as they are now. Just as a fun comparison, you can see our reality from spring 2013 compared to now, spring 2019!
- Others
Here’s a recap video of our experience this visit!
When to Visit the UC Davis Arboretum?
To be honest, the arboretum is pretty all year-round! If you would like to have an idea about what is in bloom there at different times of the year, you can check out their Bloom Calendar.
Just a heads up for people that have allergies, make sure that you are prepared!
The Waterway Improvements
The arboretum is a path that loops around a large pond. During our visits over the past couple of years, green algae in the water had started to become a familiar sight. Then about a year ago, part of the arboretum was blocked off due to maintenance being done on the waterway. Luckily, that is all fixed, and they have better water flow and ability to drain storm runoff. They even have signs along the path where people can check in with their smartphones to tell how the water is flowing during their visit!
In the pictures below, you can see the progression of the water over time. The picture on the left was taken in 2013, the one in the center in 2015 and the one on the right in 2019.
Some Useful Tools if you are Planning to Visit the UC Davis Arboretum
- Different Collections – The arboretum consists of multiple collections. This webpage helps guide you through what is offered, as well as where you can find the different collections.
- Plant Database – This is a listing of 100 of the plants that can be found at the arboretum. It helps you to search and find the plants that you see during your walk/bike/run through the arboretum. It also helps to guide you to see which of those plants that you enjoyed that could also work in your landscape at home.
- Arboretum All Stars – This free 17-page brochure outlines the 100 highlighted plants, how to grow them, the bloom season, etc.
- Plant Sales – On certain Saturdays, the arboretum has plant sales so that the general public can come in and buy the plants that they enjoy throughout the arboretum. At this link, you can find a schedule with the dates for any upcoming plant sales so that you can plan accordingly if you are interested.
Where to Park
The UC Davis Arboretum offers a public map, which can be very useful for you, whether you are familiar with the UC Davis campus or not. The arboretum loop is big (approximately 3.5 miles) and consists of multiple different collections. It is possible to make it through to see the entire thing during one visit if you are up for it. However, if you just want to go and see a few specific gardens, you should take a look at the map and plan accordingly with your parking.
Something important to note is if you go during the weekend, you can park anywhere on campus for free. Although it is not widely publicized on the parking meters, there is no one patrolling the parking lots during the weekends. If you go during the week, you can always look at the public parking map and find a location off-campus that is nearby where you can park. Downtown Davis has a lot of parking options, if you are willing to do a little extra walking to reach the arboretum. If not, you will pay $9/day parking, or whatever price it has gone up to by the time you are reading this!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like: