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Mediterranean Climate Gardens

There are five Mediterranean climate specific gardens at Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park, although plants from the world's Mediterranean regions are also included in the Entry Garden, Succulent Garden, Garden of Fragrance, and Biblical Garden.

California

John Muir is supposed to have commented to fellow Scotsman John McLaren that he didn't have much use for manmade parks, preferring to visit natural places like the Sierras instead. While John Muir's efforts helped save Yosemite Valley and many other natural wilderness areas, John McLaren was able to make nature accessible to millions of people by converting some wind swept sand dunes into Golden Gate Park.

The John Muir Nature Trail
Strybing Arboretum’s second Director, Percy Haddon Brydon (known as Jock Brydon) had suggested using the westernmost triangular area of the Arboretum as a nature trail for displaying central costal California plant communities.

The John Muir Nature Trail, begun in June of 1970, provides an opportunity to learn about California coastal habitats and includes an interpretive deck with several informative plaques as well as a tree shaded wooden bridge over a small pond.

Redwood Nature Trail
John McLaren loved to grow trees from seeds. Strybing Arboretum's Redwood Nature Trail winds through 100 year old redwoods, providing a cool, quiet and almost magical place to visit on a warm summer day. The Redwood Trail was completed in 1962. The panorama in the upper left column was taken at my favorite spot in Strybing Arboretum.

The Aurthur L. Menzies
Garden of California Native Plants
The California Native section of Strybing Arboretum was expanded and named the Aurthur L. Menzies Garden of California native Plants after the Arboretum’s Assistant Director from 1972 until the time of his death in early 1973.

Chile

Chile and California have many similarities including fertile central valleys with low costal mountain ranges to the west and high snow-covered mountains to the east. Both Chile and California are on the western edge of continents and although Chilean tree species are all different from those of California, other species, such as the beach strawberry are found in both places and one third of Chilean shrubs are also found in California.

Drimys winteri (Canelo) — a Sacred Tree of the Mapuche People (pre European) of Chile — grows to 50 feet and bears clusters of fragrant white flowers.

Southern tip of Africa

The Cape Province Garden contains plants from the Cape Region of Africa which has the world's highest density of plant species. California by contrast has fewer species in over four times the land area.

Australia

The southern and southwestern coasts of Australia also enjoy a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and mild, wet winters.

The U. C. Davis Arboretum specializes in plants adapted to a Mediterranean climate.