UC Santa Cruz Arboretum

The winding dirt paths are well marked and easy to walk. It doesn’t seem as designed as many gardens, it had a very natural feel where ever a path led me. I felt like I was wandering in a natural environment, with birds and butterflies flittering around and interesting plants to enjoy.
Perhaps it is busier during the spring when more is in bloom. On a late August weekend the garden was quiet and peaceful. I could have spent hours exploring– looking at things and sitting on one of the benches that dot the trails and paths.
There certainly is a lot to see here: The world’s largest collection of Australian plants, the New Zealand garden, a bamboo garden, the fragrance garden, a large collection of succulents, and many more planting areas. The gift and garden shop have reasonable priced and unusual plants in addition to the garden type stuff. I did not see all of the 135 acres of this garden. I am planning to go back and later in the year for the migrating monarch butterflies and again in the spring for the blooms. I will lug my long lens to enjoy a day or two of photography in this very special place,

this place is quite a beauty to enjoy different kinds of flavor. one can take wonderful pictures here. the staff are friendly as well. tip: entrance fee is $ 5/​person.

I had my Senior year art show here and it was such a lovely place to have it! All of the people I met who work here are some of the kindest I’ve come across throughout my time being here at UCSC. They were super helpful. Lovely place, especially when sunny! :) thanks guys! :)

SNAKES SNAKES SNAKES SNAKES SNAKES
That being said, this place is beautiful. I do wildlife photography, so this place is sort of a dream. In 2 hours we found thrashers, anna’s, allen’s, deer, rabbits, and tons of other wildlife attracted to the flowers. The first time we came was during a Hummingbird Event, so there were many people walking around, scaring the snakes away from the pathways, however during normal hours you may see several snakes. I am deathly afraid of snakes, so unfortunately we will not be returning, but I would definitely recommend it for people braver than me.

This place is really, really cool. Great paths. Take a special friend or walk by yourself, either way you’ll love it. Serenity. Lots of benches or rocks to sit on along the way if you need a break or want to talk or listen. The flowers were super pretty and exotic. I’ll be back to explore more next time. Thanks to the super friendly lady who took a picture of me and my girlfriend, that was very kind :) and the admission donation thing, 5 bucks a person to see all the beautiful things? Thats a steal! I mean we pay like 12 to watch a movie. This is better than a movie. Get there.

UCSC’s Arboretum in Santa Cruz is a hidden gem that is a must for plant lovers. From the wonders of the Australian and South African gardens to the bamboo forest and the collection of carniverous plants (a big hit with our children), the Arboretum is a wonderful place to unwind and reconnect with nature, and with some truly unusual species. They also have a store where you can buy succulents and other plants from the collection. Highly recommended.

This was such a fun experience !! I had a blast at the garden. There were so many interesting looking plants and the trail was pretty cool too. There isn’t much shade there so wear a hat. It cost five dollars a person in donation to help keep the garden there. I had seen people walk in without donating.

I’ve been to the Arboretum many times, and each time I visit, I find another treasure. This is a great place to spend a sunny weekend day. And on weekdays, you can feel like you’re all alone in this beautiful garden.
In addition to the Arboretum grounds, which contain some of the largest and most beautiful plant collections in the country, the garden hosts educational programs, field trips, parties, and many other local events.
This is a fabulous place to bring kids as they can wander and meander with you. Most of the plants are well marked, and the trails are very evident. The staff and volunteers are always friendly and willing to explain what it is they’re working on if you take a moment to stop.
Norrie’s gift shop, near the entry, contains a lot of nice and unusual items for your garden as well as a variety of rare plants for sale.
Some areas of the Arboretum could use a little TLC, but it is evident that this place is loved in spite of it being clearly underfunded by the well-​endowed University of California. It’s unclear why they don’t allocate more $$ towards the management and upkeep of this jewel.
I highly recommend the Arboretum if you’re looking for something to do on a nice day. Getting outside and walking in the sunshine is something we all need to do more of!

Ar-​boretums are boring and it’s often more fun to read the Unilocal reviews about them than to visit. UC Santa Cruz is somewhat less boring than certain others though! There are ocean views and hummingbirds and even an homage to smell-​ovision in their Aroma Garden. The first Tuesday of the month are free too. This makes it a good option for a brisk walk before lunch. Bring food, a book or, if you’re an undergrad, a Nintendo game boy, and just relax on one of the park benches there.
As some have pointed out here on Unilocal,the best time to visit is in the spring. I would submit that it’s worth a visit in the fall too because Monarch butterflys are abundant during this season. There’s an eucalyptus grove where they try to hide.
The longest walk in this garden is only a little over one mile. The paths at Santa Cruz Arboretum are well labelled making this spiraling labyrinth of botanicals navigable. Follow the «world tour» signs and you’ll get to see shrubs from such far away biochores as New Zealand, South Africa and Pacoima.
Tip: do pick up the paper map as an additional guide while you’re moving through the grounds. It indicates where the various lookouts points are located with a binocular icon. Oh, you may want to bring your binoculars too.

First, print out your copy of The Patrick Elvander Taxonomy Trail at the Arboretum Guide at UC Santa Cruz from the arboretum website. Second, get your knee pads, binoculars, magnifying glass, thermos of Safeway brand English Breakfast ice tea, cane pole, hummingbird feeder and folding chair, pay your $ 5 and wander around in the Australian Garden until you find #72. (Proteaceae: Tremendous variation in lvs within the genus.) in the taxonomy and set up your station. Get down on your knees and examine the tiny flowers on the ground cover Proteus with the magnifier then compare them with the huge flowers on the 8′ tall variety. Take pix of the hummers fighting for a perch on your feeder (you did hang it from the cane pole like I asked you to didn’t you?) Use the binoculars to spot arboretum workers coming to escort you to your car for bringing in a hummingbird feeder. Drink some tea, the car will be hot inside, and chuckle at how Latin has WAY too many vowels in their botanical names (that’s why most of us flunked the course.) Example: Scrophulariaceae. View my photo «Proteus, oh Proteus, wherefore…» on the photo page for the arboretum.

The place is pretty. There are some trails that need maintenance. The Horticulture office is nice and helpful. The plants are beautiful. If you like exotic plants species, then there are plants for you.

Great place to roam and find plants and flowers to take pictures of. At first I though nothing was in bloom — everything looked like brown and green shrubs (but what do I know… I don’t have a green thumb at all) — I expected an oasis of colorful flowers. But walking around a bit and really looking around I found awesome plants. It’s like a treasure hunt. I should’ve grabbed a map of the grounds but figured I just explore.
It wasn’t crowded at all and it was a pretty relaxing stroll. There is no one taking the entrance fee however there are payment drop boxes at the entrance.
It was super hot that day so make sure you wear sunblock and a hat otherwise you will be roasting.

So well presented and maintained and labelled. Absolutely loved the CA-​native plant section. They not only labelled the plants, but every now and again they went in to depth about that specific plant or that family of plants, which was really interesting.
They have great specimens of interesting plants like FlannelBush, Coreopsis gigantea, and all sorts of manzanitas (Arctostaphylus spp.).
A kind gentleman working there was super nice and let us stay a little past the closing time (5pm), which we really appreciated because we arrived with too little time to spend there.
They have lots of plants for sale, which are accompanied by long notes for almost each plant.
Great part of UC Santa Cruz’s campus that every student and local Santa Cruzer should visit, I reckon! (especially pretty in the spring. Flowers– yay!)

This is such a fantastic place so much of the year, but the real prizes are in the early winter with the monarch butterflies and mid-​winter when all the australian plants bloom.
Natural bridges has nothing on this place if you prefer a more subdued, less tourist-​filled experience with the wintering monarchs. The towering eucalypts provide an interesting contrast to nearby redwoods and often are aflutter with the winged migrants.
In the late winter, early spring, the Australian plants start blooming, with fantastical, other-​worldly flowers in exotic shapes and sizes. You can spend hours walking around, checking out the plants.
A hidden secret is the rare fruit garden on the levee, the guava and citrus in the winter, and grapes in the fall are really fun to try. I also am enamored with the succulent garden, with stone plants and outlandish cacti among the rocks.
Hummingbirds buss overhead in certain spots during warmer days. They are so cute and shy, but beyond beautiful when you catch them.
The plant shop sells quality cuttings that help support the gardens and student programs. They have lots of neat stuff, so think of them next time you are getting gifts for gardeners.
Head over to the UCSC Arboretum any time of year for a great time outdoors with plants from around california and across the earth.

Very nice grounds that are well maintained and fun to stroll through on a nice day. There is a lot to see and a lot to learn and a very friendly and knowledgeable staff roaming around just waiting to tell you more.
I took an outdoor photography workshop here through Aperture Academy in Campbell, and I had a lot of fun photographing the scenery but also just enjoying the day outdoors and seeing things in nature that I have not seen before.
If you are a flower or plant enthusiast I am sure you would enjoy this, although there didn’t seem to be anything extremely exotic or overwhelmingly unique. If you are from out of town or just want to spend some time appreciating nature’s beauty, this would be a fun little stop.

ARBORETUM
Grounds have limited hours between 9 – 5, so we rushed here at 4:15 to do the quick look around. The groundskeeper came around 4:45 to shut the gate partially while he locked up things. In the 30 minutes, we managed to see quite a bit close to the entrance. There are some wonderful displays of flowers. It’s kinda of hard to tell each of the themes/​regions which are being presented. I much preferred the UC Davis arboretum. There are distinct themes/​regions being shown like redwood grove, Australian, etc. Here, you can’t tell except for a tiny little wooden post with no sort of posted info stands about the wildlife and plant life.
ADMISSION
It’s reasonable but you can see a nicer one for free at UC Davis– only pay for parking. However, this is closer to SF and easier to get to compared to the long drive out to Davis. If you have an arboretum/​garden AHS membership, then admission is free here. Plus, you can get a discount at the gift shop.

This is a beautiful garden full of native plants and exotic plants. I’ve spent many afternoons in this park on my own and with friends walking around and trying to identify all the interesting plants.
I’m always surprised about how many people go to UCSC and have never been to the Arboretum. I love taking people there for the first time. It’s so colorful and they’ve made all the winding paths throughout the Arboretum.
There are many different types of birds that live in the Arboretum and you’ll always see hummingbirds and butterflies flying around. It’s beautiful. And I definitel recommend checking out the meadow across from the Arboretum during the springtime. So many native flowers. So beautiful.
Also, check out the gift shop while at the Arboretum. They sell native plants for really cheap and have an amazing variet of succulent plants.

why it has taken me 4 years in santa cruz to muster up the enthusiasm to visit here, i do not know. With a convenient bus stop at the entrance on high st., the arboretum holds a wide variety of African and Australian shrubbery and trees. there were clearly guided paths that were easy to stroll on, or you could travel off the path to a self-​guided adventure. a free (for UCSC students) activity, and a pleasant way to spend a sunny day and learn stuff while walking in foliage.
(one star down because i couldnt figure out how to get to the greenhouse on the map.)

Went here on a nice sunny day and checked out some plants. Most of all the plants are labeled with their scientific name and place of origin. The entire arboretum is divided up into different areas such as the New Zealand Garden or South African Garden with different walking trails leading to these different areas. I walked around without using a map and I realized that if I did, I would’ve seen the areas that I missed, let alone see how big this entire place actually is (it IS). A visit to this place requires a lot of leisurely walking, so grabbing a map is helpful to know where you’re headed. It’s not a bad place to visit when you just want to take a stroll through some gardens and there are benches to sit on when you need to take a break.
I wanted to check out the gift shop but unfortunately it was closed for an unknown reason even though we were there during business hours.
The junior high kid in me (who am I kidding, I’ll always be this way!) got a kick out of seeing a memorial bench dedicated to HARRY BEEVERS. (see my local photos)

Hummingbirds and thickets and cypresses! Oh my!
Located approximately ½ a mile from the main entrance to the UCSC campus, this wonderful outdoor «museum» is not to be overlooked. Funded in part by donations, the suggested donation of $ 3 is a steal given how well manicured and carefully planning the landscapes are. There are multiple hours-​worth of paths to snake along, but my schedule didn’t allow for anything more than a relatively quick half-​hour meander on and around the ½ mile long World Tour circuit.
Make sure to check out some of the Hummingbird Trail — you can hear the buzzing of their flight even if you can’t spot them floating around or dive bombing — although I must admit I was less inclined to do so because of the family of hummingbirds that give me a daily show in my own backyard.
It wasn’t very busy on this particular Thursday morning, but then again I’m not sure a place so expansive can ever truly feel crowded. The only other people I encounted were on multigenerational family outing, with a pair of spritely little girls darting in and out of the endless hiding places provided by the shrubbery and trees while their parents and grandparents made odd comments about the flora.
If I had grown up in California, much less Santa Cruz, this most certainly would have been a place my mother would have taken us on one of our education excursions. Instead, I grew up outside of New York City, so the Museum of Natural History and the Botanical Gardens could only roughly approximate the experience.
The Arboretum is a unique gem of a resource, and it’s definitely less anxiety inducing than a trip to the San Francisco Zoo! No man-​eating tigers to worry about here, just lush, diverse gardens in this horticultural wonderland!