UC Davis Arboretum, the Australian Collection

My final stop at the UC Davis Arboretum began at the formal community entrance, the gateway between the City of Davis and the UC Davis Arboretum. Artist Chris Fennell created this arched entry...

400 shovels strong! All donated by the local community.

The reason for our visit here was to get a look at the Australian Collection of plants. You can see a map of the Arboretum here, and get an idea how the Australian Collection (right hand side) fits into the overall scheme.

The size of these Callistemon blooms, oh my!

I love to capture them unfurling.

Another type of bottle brush.

There were so many Anigozanthos (kangaroo paw) blooming here. It was hard not to want to photograph each and every one.

That white shrub! I wish I could tell you what it is, besides remarkable.

An Acacia, one of many.

And oh my! The Banksia!!...

I simply cannot get enough of their post-bloom cones.

I had to resist the urge to tear them off the shrubs and instead started searching the ground for fallen cones.

Luckily I found a few.

This section of the Arboretum hugs Putah Creek.

It was very picturesque in places.

OMG, I get to walk under a weeping Callistemon.

So beautiful.

Hey there!

We ventured on to the strange ceramics cast-off area that Gerhard covered in this 2017 blog post.

It was all so curious that I couldn't stop taking photos.

Gerhard discovered this is the home of the UC Davis Cermaics program and that "The 7,200 sq. ft. building was bought from the federal government as war surplus in 1947 and used as a dormitory building, fondly referred to as The Warehouse. In 1951 the building was converted to a combination police station, mailroom, and storage area. The art department began taking it over in 1961; Robert Arneson arrived in 1962. By the end of the 1960s the entire building had been given over to the ceramics program and a metal foundry."

Of course I was just as enthralled with this fence/Opuntia combination as Gerhard was.

It's quite the artistic installation all on its own.

It was time to tear ourselves away from the ceramics though, and trek back into the garden proper.

Wollemia nobilis, wow!

This beauty is a Grevillea, G. robusta...

Aka Silky Oak.

And this beauty is Grevillea 'Mason's Hybrid'

Such amazing flowers...

I'm not the only one who was appreciating them.

One final Banksia (B. marginata I believe) before it was time to head to the airport and my flight home...

Weather Diary, July 26: Hi 97, Low 64/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

UC Davis campus, with an Aloe focus...

Looking back on my April trip to Davis I'm amazed at everything I saw and did. I was only there about 34 hours but I attended two days worth of meetings, toured Gerhard's garden and went out to dinner with his family, got a good night's sleep (what a waste of time!) and got to see a good chunk of the UC Davis campus and Arboretum (previous posts here, here and here). Good thing I've got a fast photo finger!

We (Gerhard and I) toured this section of the campus after the PHS Saturday meeting wrapped up and Gerhard (kindly!) picked me up and made sure I saw more of the campus before taking me to the airport.

The plantings were near the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory and worked their way around the campus buildings. Like going to school at Pitzer College I fear I would be late for class because I wasn't able to tear myself away from the plants.

The Cycad covered in needles from the conifers above reminded me of a friend's continuous battles with those things. What can you do when they just keep falling from the sky?

I think this bloomer may be Gasteria acinacifolia.

I suspected, based on the flower shape, but a look at Gerhard's blog post from Feb of 2017 seems to confirm it.

Because I faithfully read Gerhard's blog I know that root ball belongs to a fallen Aloe marlothii hybrid.

Here's its top.

Kumara plicatilis, formerly Aloe plicatilis

Aloe melanacantha

That cutie is a Euphorbia, but I can't remember which one.

Cycad madness!

Xanthorrhoea sp.

Yucca torreyi? (maybe)

Oh the blooming Echium...*swoon*

Tall bloom spike...

From a little Agave victoriae-reginae

I'm not so sure I like this combo of Tradescantia pallida and Aeonium. The one I previously shared, of the Tradescantia and Echium wildpretii was more my style.

Come back tomorrow for a look at the Australian section of the Arboretum.

Weather Diary, July 25: Hi 97, Low 62/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.