University of California, Davis

The UC Davis Arboretum will design and construct a new garden exhibit, the “California Native Plant Discovery Garden,” and develop associated educational programming. The exhibit process will test a new model for collaborative exhibit development, interpretive planning, and public education at a university garden. The Arboretum staff will work with faculty and students in the landscape architecture, design, education, and plant science departments, and the focus will be on exhibit development and interpretation, as well as education programs, including interpretive signage, cell phone tours, digital maps, science cafes, and hands-on “Investigation Stations.” The goal of the exhibit is to make the native plant collection physically, intellectually, and emotionally accessible to visitors and other audiences in order to increase awareness and appreciation of native flora and the need to protect plants in the wild.