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Arizona Cactus Garden

  • Address:
    Quarry Road
    Stanford, CA 94305

and

About

The Arizona Garden is a historical garden in the process of renovation and preservation. The 17,000 square feet botanical garden specializing in cactus and succulents is located on the south side of the mausoleum off of Quarry Road between Campus Drive and Arboretum Road, Stanford, California, USA, and open to the public daily free of charge.

The garden was first planted between 1880 and 1883 for Jane and Leland Stanford and designed by landscape architect Rudolph Ulrich. It was planned to be adjacent to their new residence, and part of the larger gardens for the Stanford estate. However, the home was never built. The garden was regularly maintained until the 1920s after which it fell into great disrepair.

Volunteer restoration work began in 1997 and is ongoing. Notwithstanding decades of neglect, some of the original plants remain. The garden now contains approximately 500 cacti and succulents in 58 beds, broadly divided into two major sections. The Eastern Hemisphere section is planted with aloes, jade plants, and other succulents from Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the Western Hemisphere section holds cacti native to the Americas. Historic plants, comprising some 10-15% of the plantings, have been left in their original locations.

To make a donation of plants, funds or time to the restoration project, please contact Christy Smith at christy.smith@stanford.edu or telephone 650-723-7459.