This lovely tree garden South of Concert Hall contains numerous drought tolerant and / or California native trees, such as:

  • Sapium sebiferum, Chinese tallow tree, popcorn tree. Height: 35’, Width: 35’, Deciduous. Native to China. Effect of foliage is open rather than dense. Poplar-like leaves turn red-orange in fall. Spikes of tiny, yellow flowers in spring. Brown fruit capsules open to reveal white, waxy seeds that persist on the tree in winter. Deeply rooted. Drought tolerant.
  • Quercus lobata, valley oak, California white oak. Height: 70’, Width: 70’, Deciduous. Native to California’s interior valleys, coast ranges, and Sierra Nevada foothills. Spreading growth habit. Trunk and limbs have gray, checked bark. Leaves are deeply lobed. Fruit is an edible acorn.
  • Cupressus macrocarpa, Monterey Cypress. Height: 40’, Evergreen. Native to Monterey County, California. Short life span in the valley. Pyramidal growth habit when young, spreading when mature.
  • Lagerstroemia indica, crape myrtle. Height: 6-30’, Deciduous. Native to China. Large shrub or small tree, can be multi-trunked. Bark flakes off, leaving smooth, pale trunk and branches. Red-orange fall color. Large terminal panicles of white, pink or lavender flowers, depending on the cultivar, from June to September. Drought tolerant.
  • Quercus agrifolia, coast live oak, California live oak. Height: 30-75’, Width: 60-100’, Evergreen. Native to California’s coast ranges. Spreading growth habit. Rounded, toothed, dark green leaves. Drought tolerant when established.
  • Pinus sabiniana, foothill pine, gray pine. Height: 40-80’, Width: 30’ Evergreen. Native to California’s coast ranges and Sierra Nevada (elevation 100’-3,000’). Upright, with open growth habit. Can have multiple trunks. Needles in bundles of three. Large cones contain edible seeds. Drought tolerant.
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