The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden... everything else

The night before our visit to the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden, we stayed at the Seacliff Inn, in Aptos, just 10 miles away (I want to say south, but the way the coast bends it actually ends up being east). Anyway, there were tree ferns...

I thought this meant I'd be seeing them at the UC Santa Cruz Botanic Garden. Nope. Not a single one. Dicksonia antarctica (which I think these are?) are from Australia, and there's an entire Australian section at the garden. Curious.

Also at the hotel, mounted staghorns under a roof overhang in the outdoor dining area.  At a distance I thought they looked fabulous.

Up close I realized they were fake.

To the garden now, and the area designated as the Succulent Garden...agaves, and aloes and yucca... oh my!

This area was very light on identification signage, which was fine. It was kind nice to just enjoy the plants without cataloguing their names.

A Dasylirion maybe? Perhaps D. wheeleri?

A gnarly old Kumara plicatilis (aka Aloe plicatilis).

Agave victoriae-reginae

Agave shawii

Agave macroacantha

From the Succulent Garden we could see the Future Garden exhibit. We didn't venture any closer since I wasn't sure this part of the garden was open, and I wanted to spend the time we had looking at plants, not worrying about the future.

Looking out at the ocean...

Blooming Mangave? Agave? Not sure.

Another Kumara plicatilis.

Venturing into the New Zealand Garden now...

Rhopalostylis sapida, I believe. The only palm native to mainland New Zealand.

Cordyline, with the remnants of a phormium bloom coming in from the right side.

Astelia! This was interesting, seeing them so overgrown and grass-like.

Interesting happenings off in the distance...

Suncatchers, by John Hylton (more info here).

Colorful cordylines in the distance.

And I'm wrapping up this week-long series with another suncatcher, or maybe sunbather is a better term?

I've long wanted to visit the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden and I'm so happy to have finally had the opportunity.

The Bit at the End

Enjoy this delicious blog post (from Panayoti Kelaidis director of outreach at the Denver Botanic Garden) chronicling Jon Kaplan's Berkeley, CA, garden; here. I have not been, but hope to visit sometime soon. If you've visited Dan Hinkley's Windcliff booth at Hortlandia the last couple of years then you may have met Jon, as he's driven up to help Dan sell plants.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude. 

The South African Garden at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden

We're back in Santa Cruz, California, at the University's Arboretum and Botanic Garden—Andrew and I visited last January. After touring the Australian garden, we've now wandered into the South African Garden.

Leucadendron argenteum, the silver tree.

I've seen several of these gems in other Botanic Gardens, as well as a few private gardens, but I've never seen any as large as the ones I saw growing here in Santa Cruz. They were AMAZING!

Of course really they're spectacular no matter the size.

Okay, let's admire some Protea flowers (with a few Leucadendron mixed in)...

Protea 'Red Ice'

Protea magnifica 'Empress'

Thamnochortus insignis, a species of grass-like restio of the family Restionaceae. This one is female (so said the signage).

Protea neriifolia 'Late Mink'

Leucadendron salignum 'Winter Red'

Protea longifolia—pink (long-leaf sugarbush).

Leucadendron 'Inca Gold'

Protea cynaroides, King Protea.

As I mentioned in Monday's post, this garden is a little wild and natural, labeling was sometimes a little hard to find, so I can't tell you the names of many plants.

No ID restio

Leucadendron salignum 'Red Gem' 

No ID Protea

No ID Protea

Phylica pubescens

Protea magnifica 'Empress'

Puya berteroniana—which were in the South African Garden, but are actually native to the Andes Mountains in Chile

Leucospermum glabrum 'Helderfontein'

Into the South African Succulents section now, where we finally saw blooming aloes!

Aloe cryptopoda (Geelaalwyn) 

No ID Aloe

Euphorbia enopla

Another tall Leucadendron argenteum.

Protea obtusifolia (limestone sugarbush)

No ID Leucadendron

No ID Leucadendron

Protea 'Susara'

Ending with a Leucadendron argenteum close-up, so much beauty! Come back on Friday for the final post from this series.

The Bit at the End

Want to grow some of these plants in your own garden (conditions willing)? I was going to share a link to the shopping page on Norrie's Gift and Garden Shop at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden website (I guess I just did), but they don't ship! Instead visit Troy McGregor's nursery Waltzing Matilija, where there are South African plants available, Australian plants, and just a whole bunch of cool things.

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To receive alerts of new danger garden posts by email, subscribe here. Please note: these are sent from a third party, their annoying ads are beyond my control. 

All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.