Garden Collections | UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County

Demonstration Gardens > Martial Cottle Park

Our gardens at Martial Cottle Park are divided into various collections with distinct themes and focuses. See descriptions below for details. Click the map to see a larger version with the collections labeled.

Important: Please respect our gardens and do not pick or eat any parts of the plants without permission.

Map of the UCCE Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County Educational Center, highlighting various garden areas, pathways, and facilities including orchards, greenhouses, and the main entrance.

Bay Area Climate-Wise Keystone Garden

Sunny California Bay Area garden featuring a curved stone walkway surrounded by straw mulch and drought-tolerant flowering plants.

The Bay Area Climate-Wise Keystone (B.A.C.K.) Garden showcases climate-resilient plants suited for the Bay Area. It features: California native plants adapted to our local conditions, as well as selections from UC Davis “Arboretum All-Stars” and “Future Favorites” (plants tested for performance in a changing climate). These plants are chosen for their ability to thrive with minimal water, support local ecosystems, and remain reliable under future climate conditions. Learn more about the garden, or explore our full list of B.A.C.K. plants and get inspired to create your own climate-wise garden at home!

Berry Patch

Collage of berry images featuring a basket of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries; blackberries on a bush; a loganberry bush with visible signage; and clusters of hanging loganberries.

The Berry Patch demonstration area is located within the Orchard demonstration area and showcases a variety of berries and related fruits: grapes, blueberries, cane berries (blackberries, raspberries, etc.), and more. They are grown both in containers and in the ground to demonstrate a range of planting options, along with educational information on each variety. The first berry plants were planted in fall 2021 through spring 2022 and have put on dazzling displays of growth and fruit since then.

California Native Garden

A native garden with a winding pathway bordered by various shrubs and trees, featuring a wooden pergola and a white bird in the foreground against a distant hillside.

Explore a wide array of California native plants suitable for home gardens. This area near the entrance and along the north fence displays low-water plants that provide habitat and food for local wildlife. Discover the year-round beauty of flowers, shrubs, and trees that are adapted to the California environment.

Experimental Beds

Garlic cloves being cured by hanging in a warm location

Nearly 50 experimental garden beds are used to grow and display trial projects to share research-based information with visitors. Observe ongoing trials of various fruits, herbs, and vegetables, such as garlic, peppers, strawberries, and melons. In winter, some beds are left fallow, or cover crops are planted to rejuvenate the soil.

Garden-to-Glass

A garden scene with various beverage-flavoring plants in decorative containers, including a large ceramic pot and a beige corrugated metal planter, beside a wooden bench.

Nestled in the heart of the orchard is a ring of raised garden beds and planters containing over 50 plant varieties that can be used to create refreshing homemade beverages. Explore “drink what you grow” ideas using roots, fruits, and shoots, aromatic herbs, and flowers for delicious herbal infusions, smoothies, garnishes, and more. Learn techniques for growing plants in small spaces while conserving water. Learn more about the garden, or explore our full list of Garden-to-Glass plants and get inspired to create your own beverage garden at home!

Habitat Haven

A vibrant garden scene with a wooden birdbath surrounded by tall grasses and colorful flowers, including yellow and orange blooms, with a green mailbox-like structure in the background beneath flowering trees.

This collection along the east fence features plants selected to provide food and shelter for birds and pollinators in a balanced ecosystem. Salvias, ceanothus, buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.), and milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are among the plants that flower from spring through summer. Trickling water provides necessary water for wildlife.

Mediterranean Climate Garden

A Mediterranean garden featuring clusters of pink-flowering succulents in the foreground, tall green stems, and trees with deep red foliage in the background.

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of a handful of regions with a Mediterranean climate: warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. This garden features plants from other Mediterranean climate regions such as Chile, South Africa, Australia, and the Mediterranean basin. The mounding drifts of color are attractive all year long, and especially when plants such as ‘Long John’ Grevillea and Towers of Jewels (Echium wildpretii) are in bloom.

One World Kitchen Garden

A community garden filled with various green plants, including tall grasses and leafy vegetables, with a stone pathway and trellis in the background.

Inspired by global cuisine, these three interconnected beds are dedicated to annual and perennial edibles that thrive in our climate. Discover nostalgic flavors from home as well as new-to-you crops, from rue to rhubarb and epazote to chrysanthemum greens.

Orchard

A ripe red pomegranate hanging from a branch, surrounded by green leaves under a clear blue sky.

This 1-acre orchard features over 150 fruit varieties that can be grown in home gardens. Visitors are welcome to stroll through the wagon wheel layout of 110+ trees. The trees in the inner circle are planted to bear fruit one after the other in a clockwise direction. The outer ring is made up of themed sections: Backyard Land, Heritage Land, Weird Land, Orphan Land, Graft Land, Apple Land, Citrus Land, and Berry Land. Talks and workshops provide hands-on education in orchard planning and care.

Ornamentals

A close-up of a bumblebee on a large pink flower with layered petals and white stigma, surrounded by green foliage.

Sixteen in-ground beds host a vibrant display of annual and perennial flowers, providing inspiration for home gardens. The plentiful blooms attract a wide variety of bees, butterflies, and more. Materials from these beds are also used to create flower arrangements for summer workshops.

Pollinator Hill

A vibrant garden with clusters of yellow flowers in the foreground, leading to a winding pathway and a wooden archway in the background, surrounded by various plants and trees.

Located near the entrance, this hill showcases a variety of flowering shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and annual wildflowers. Complementary purple and yellow blooms of buckwheat, ceanothus, phacelia, nemophila, and California poppies create a colorful expanse in early spring. Specimen trees, bee nesting boxes, and patches of exposed soil provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.

Pollinator Pathway Garden

A winding mulch path runs through a vibrant garden filled with various shrubs and flowering plants, framed by a clear blue sky.

This garden runs along the south fence and is dotted with self-guided educational signs. Follow a pathway through native wildflowers, insect hotels, water features, bee baths, and bluebird houses. It is the foundation for our “Mornings at Martial Cottle Park” program, which hosts educational field trips for kindergarten to 4th graders.

Prickly Pear Collection

Vibrant prickly pear cactus with pink and yellow fruit clusters in a natural setting, under a clear blue sky.

This collection of over 20 prickly pear cacti with their distinctive paddle-shaped pads forms a border along the south fence. Native to the Americas, these easy-to-grow plants thrive in our hottest summers and coldest winters. Colorful flowers lead to the production of edible fruits called tunas.

School Beds

A community garden with raised beds of greenery, a trellis-covered structure, and a clear blue sky with clouds in the background.

These eight beds are used for school field trips. Seasonal herbs and vegetables are grown to demonstrate square foot gardening, promote eating a rainbow of colors for a healthy diet, and provide a sensory experience. Depending on the season, visitors may see intriguing gourds, luffa vines, or artichokes.

Seed Share

Outside the Main Gate is the vibrant green Seed Share cabinet. Visitors are invited to take seeds to grow, then save and return fresh seeds for future gardeners. Be sure donated seeds are fully dried and clearly labeled. Partial seed packets are welcome too. Learn more about how and why to save seeds.

Succulent Garden

A beautiful array of succulents is clustered around a repurposed fountain near the Memorial Garden. A blue-green palo verde tree with bright yellow spring flowers anchors this garden. To expand your own succulent collection, come to one of our regular succulent sales, held on the third Saturday of every month.

Three Sisters & Sunflowers

A vibrant garden featuring tall corn plants, red amaranth, and sunflowers, with distant mountains under a clear blue sky.

Corn, beans, and squash are the “three sisters” planted in this plot, an example of companion planting. Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb. Beans fix nitrogen from the air to enrich the soil. Large squash leaves help shade out weeds and retain moisture. Cheerful sunflowers, sometimes considered the "fourth sister," are planted to attract pollinators. In winter, cover crops are planted to improve the soil.

Tomatoes

In the summer, over 50 varieties of tomatoes are grown on the southern reach of the east fence. Varieties are evaluated by flavor, production, health, and vigor to select tomatoes that do well locally. The tomato beds are either left fallow or planted with cover crops during the cooler season. At our annual Spring Garden Fair, we offer over 60 varieties of tomato seedlings for home gardeners to buy.