The arboretum was founded in 1936.[1] It is free to visit and the gardens are open 24 hours a day every day of the year; visitor parking is free Saturdays and Sundays and $10 per car every other day.[1] The Arboretum contains 3.5 miles (5.6km) paved path loop for pedestrians, joggers, and cyclists.[2] The collection includes some "22,000 trees and plants adapted to a Mediterranean climate."[1] The collection may be searched through the Arbortetum's online database,[3] which includes detailed information about the plants and geographic information system data linked to plant records.[4] The Arboretum is an important source of information on horticulture in California's Central Valley.[1]
The arboretum is used for research both by UC Davis faculty and students and by others.[4] The arboretum also supports teaching at UC Davis, with courses in many different disciplines using the arboretum each year.[5]
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The arboretum has 17 gardens and collections:
Arboretum Terrace Garden and Lois Crowe Patio - Mediterranean-style terrace garden with pergola, featuring plants typical of California's Central Valley.[6]
East Asian Collection - an East Asian garden with a view of Lake Spafford and an open lawn; features cherry blossoms and daphne (prominent in winter and spring) and ginkgo, zelkova, and ornamental grasses (prominent in fall).[6]
Eric E. Conn Acacia Grove - features more than 50 acacia species.[6]
Peter J. Shields Oak Grove - features more than 80 types of oak, including several rare species.[6]
Ruth Risdon Storer Garden - features various "flowering perennials and small shrubs that are especially well suited to Central Valley gardens" intended for sustainable gardening.[6]
Southwest U.S.A. and Mexican Collection - features various plants of Mexico and the American Southwest; the Montezuma bald cypress in this collection was grown from seed from the largest specimen in Mexico.[6]
T. Elliot Weier Redwood Grove - a coast redwoodgrove that is "one of the largest collections of redwood trees outside their native range." In addition to the trees, the grove also features understory plants.[6]