Arizona Garden Restoration

About the Arizona Garden

The Arizona Garden was designed and created by landscape designer Rudolph Ulrich in 1882, as an addition to the Hotel Del Monte grounds.  Since that time, the original garden has been altered and parts lost to neglect. Hotel Del Monte treasure, the Arizona Garden is currently undergoing stabilization and restoration made possible by the Thomas Doud, Sr. and Anita M. Doud Fund I grant from the Community Foundation for Monterey County. It is through this generous grant along with the collaboration efforts between many talented individuals that the garden will be restored. The preservation of the remaining garden beds, along with a maintenance plan, and volunteer outreach program will ensure that the Arizona Garden will be sustained for garden enthusiasts and visitors to enjoy.

Hotel Del Monte, built in the late 19th Century by railroad pioneer Charles Crocker, provided an exotic setting that rivaled the great European hotels and gardens. The elaborate Del Monte Garden, created by landscape designer Rudolph Ulrich, featured topiary, rose, tropical and formal walled and parterre gardens as well as an English yew maze. The German-born Ulrich was fascinated by desert plants and he established a formal “Arizona Garden” plan as his hallmark design while working at Hotel Del Monte. Ulrich experimented with desert plants and his designs emphasized plant texture and color. Following his work at Del Monte, Ulrich was the superintendent of grounds for three World's Fairs -- the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair), the 1898 Omaha World's Fair and the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.
 

The Arizona Garden Today

The NPS Arizona Garden is not exactly as it was when completed in 1882. Thanks to a generous grant from the Thomas Doud, Sr. and Anita M. Doud Fund I from the Community Foundation for Monterey County, a study has been completed to determine the amount of the original Arizona Garden that still exsists today.  Through this grant and volunteer efforts the Garden is being stabilized, historically significant planting have been identified and historical comparisons of the original beds have been completed. Our study showed that approximately 63% of the garden beds are still intact or similar in shape; with 37% being lost or redone into an unrecognizable configuration that was not a part of the original bedding layout. The report lays the framework for the long-term planning and possible next steps in the history of the Arizona Garden. Only two Arizona Gardens remain in existence, the garden at the Naval Postgraduate School (formerly Hotel Del Monte) and a larger garden designed for Leland Stanford at Stanford University.

A special thanks to John Sanders; Steve McCabe; Julie Cain; Karl Karl; Trudy Ehrhart; Brian Kemble; Steve Quimby; the Monterey Bay Area Cactus and Succulent Society; the NPS Foundation; Cadet Jonathan Hendricks and Cadet Sean Toal of the United States Military Academy; numerous volunteers; and most of all the Thomas Doud, Sr. and Anita M. Doud Fund I Grant from the Community Foundation for Monterey County for their significant efforts and support regarding the historic Arizona Garden.