Daisy Mah and the WPA Garden

Ornamental oregano (Origanum libanoticum), Gazania ‘Talent’, golden columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha), and Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri) flank one of the gently curving paths; large white flowers of Crinum moorei mark the lower right corner. Photographs by Daisy Mah, except as noted
. . . one of my true heroes—a wizard in the garden.
Warren Roberts, superintendent
The Arboretum, UC Davis

Pull into the parking lot across from the Sacramento Zoo, and you’ll likely see young parents pushing strollers or leading noisy toddlers to nearby Fairytale Town.

But glance ever so slightly down the road, and the landscape changes dramatically. The swards of lawn abruptly give way to a riot of foliage and flower: spiky phormiums in bronze and green; silvery artemisias sweeping through borders like foamy waves; strappy agapanthus carpeting the ground; salvias spreading their lax branches across barberries, manzanita, and yucca; rock roses with crepe-papery flowers dancing above crinkly foliage; clumps of nicotiana looming over the paths; and poppies in cream and pink and yellow basking in the sun. There are no side...