Trees of Gamble Garden

Some of today’s trees, including a few coast live oaks and the eucalyptus, preceded the Gambles’ purchase of the property in 1902. Elizabeth’s family first planted fruit trees in a backyard orchard and installed status-signifying Canary date palms and Southern magnolias on the public-facing sides of the family home. Landscaping efforts in the late 1930s and again in the late 1940s/early 1950s brought a number of native, Asian and rare specimens to the property, as Elizabeth was a keen collector and experimenter. When the garden entered public trust in 1986, certain trees—due to overgrowth, poor condition, danger to humans, and aesthetic reasons—were removed, and new specimens were planted according to a plan that served historic, aesthetic and contemporary public needs.

Walk down Waverley toward Embarcadero and turn into the driveway leading to the parking lot. Stop at the opening in the fence at the edge of the garden.

One of several gigantic manna gums along Embarcadero Road, this Australian native has lengthy ribbons of sunburnt bark that peel to reveal fresh white trunk. Insignificant white flowers occur throughout the year, but are usually too high to be seen. Pea-sized seed capsules produce year-round litter.

Ironically, this large tree is in our Native California garden – even though it is not a native. In fact, eucalyptus is an invasive species first brought to California in the 19th Century. The trees were prized for their rapid growth and were planted as windbreaks on farms and in large ‘forests’ in the hopes that the trees could provide lumber and railroad ties for the state’s explosive growth. Unfortunately, eucalyptus wood has an uneven grain and it bent, cracked and shrank after having been cut. It couldn’t even be used for fence posts or railroad ties because it decayed quickly. Today, eucalyptus groves cover millions of acres in Northern California and are of little commercial value. Their exfoliating (shedding) bark and high oil content make them especially susceptible to fires. The eucalyptus stands as a monument to good intentions gone bad.

Enter the garden and immediately turn left and walk on the path along the fence. Stop at the second opening.

In March, these two ornamental cherry trees are covered in a cloud of pink, fragrant blooms. This hybrid, non-fruiting tree was introduced from Japan in 1902, and is the most common flowering cherry tree planted in Washington, D.C.

Turn right and continue in the parking lot. Walk down the path between the cherry trees, stopping before you reach the third opening into the garden. Look at the tall Magnolia growing on the other side of the fence.

Unusual for this area, the cucumber tree is native to eastern North America. Once it reaches 12 years, it develops yellow flowers high on the tree in the late spring, followed by green fruits that are shaped like a small cucumber. The fruits mature to a dark red color and split open to release red seeds.

This tree is just to the left of the cucumber tree and to the right of the Magnolia.

Smoke trees (or bushes) are native to warm temperate northern hemisphere, so they do well in our climate. Once established, they have a good tolerance for dry conditions. Though naturally multi-stemmed, smoke trees can also be trained to a single trunk. The name is derived from dramatic puffs of “smoke” which are actually filaments attached to the seeds that help the tree disperse its seeds on the wind.

Smoke trees are at their best in poor or rocky soils; avoid overly wet conditions.

Continue on the path, past the bike rack and through the opening in the fence. Turn left and you’ll see the orchard.

When the orchard area was first planted in the 1980s, the espaliered trees surrounding the orchard were planted with three heirloom apple varieties: ‘Winter Banana’, ‘Bramley’s Seedling’, and ‘Pink Pearl’. Over the years, some of the original plants have died and been replaced with other apple varieties such as ‘Fuji’ and ‘Granny Smith’. ‘Winter Banana’ originated in Indiana in the 1870s and is a better eating apple than a cooking apple. ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ is a tart apple known as one of the premiere cooking apples in England. ‘Pink Pearl’ was developed in the 1940s by Californian orchardist Albert Etter, and is particularly good for apple sauce and cider, where the pink color of its flesh can really stand out.

The fig tree is behind the fence, near the apple orchard

Fig is a common fruit tree in the Bay Area. They can grow to 15–30’ but can also be kept to 10’ in a large container. The ‘Black Mission’ variety produces purple-black fruit with pink flesh that is good either fresh or dried. Edible figs are one of the first plants that were cultivated by humans.

Walk through the edible garden to the Coral Tree in front of the brick wall. 

Coral tree is known for its extravagant display of flowers which have been chosen as Argentina’s national flower. The first flowers form in the spring after the leaves have unfurled.

Each branch tip has a big, loose cluster of velvety, blossoms that vary in color from pink to dark red. In summer, blossoms are replaced by long bean pods. Notice the pollarding (pruning repeated year after year) at the base of new growth. This tree was planted by the Gamble family, probably when the tea house was built. The tree was not pollarded until after it suffered damage in the December 1990 freeze. Its limbs were cut back to where new growth appeared following the freeze.

Continue toward Waverley Street, past the bunny. Stop where the flagstones meet the path.

Saucer magnolia is a deciduous tree with white to purplish-red fragrant flowers, 3–6” wide. This tree blooms from late winter into spring before the leaves emerge. There are several saucer magnolias here in the woodland garden that are spectacular in bloom in February.

As the saucer magnolias begin to fade, another deciduous magnolia bursts into bloom. Magnolia × ‘Vulcan’ is a hybrid by Felix Jury between a Magnolia campbellii ‘Lanarth’ seedling and Magnolia liliiflora. It stands out from the other magnolias we have at Gamble with its enormous wine red flowers.

From mid-spring, the Magnolia ‘Vulcan’ has large, fragrant cup-shaped flowers that are an intense ruby-magenta in color. Deciduous, its broad, mid-green leaves fall late in the year. In late winter and early spring, lightly fragrant flowers cover the branches before leaf-out.

Seedy, cone-like fruits follow the flowers, attracting birds.

Remain where you are and look around. The large evergreen trees throughout the garden are coast live oaks.

The coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) is a large oak tree native to the Pacific Coast of California and is an important tree in California’s cultural landscape. Live oaks are protected by the City of Palo Alto; a permit is needed to prune or remove these trees.

The coast live oak can grow to up to 80 feet tall. Its bark is thick and grows gnarled and deeply fissured as the tree gets older, with twisted and irregular branches. The live oaks are a group of evergreen oaks—they do not shed their leaves in the winter. In the spring, the oak produces small catkin flowers; the mild coastal weather ensures that the flowers can bloom for many months.

The coast live oak was an extremely important tree to the California Native Americans. The acorns produced by the oak were a primary food source of many native groups, including the Ohlone, Kameyaay, and Cahuilla people. After harvesting the acorns, they were ground into a flour-like paste. The tannins (a bitter phenolic compound) from the acorns were leached out by placing the paste in a cloth bag and washing it in water several times. After leaching, the acorn paste was cooked and eaten as a mush called wiiwish. Additionally, the wood from the coast live oak was used to make spoons and bowls, and the red bark of the tree was used to dye clothing.

Like many California oaks, the coast live oaks are vulnerable to Sudden Oak Death, a recent disease caused by the plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. While the disease is not harmful to humans, it ravages oak forests and nurseries. The white ‘paint’ you see on the trunks of our trees is a lime solution which we hope will reverse or at least slow down the disease.

Continue walking toward Waverley Street and turn left on the next path. The persimmon is halfway down on the right.

This tree produces big, slightly pointed fruit which are quite astringent until they become very soft and ripe. The fruit can be pureed and used as a replacement for applesauce in bread and other recipes. The other persimmon seen locally is the non-astringent ‘Fuyu’, which is shaped like a flattened tomato.

Continue down the path to the driveway and walk to the front of the house. The Canary Island Palm and Japanese Maple (#12) are to the left of the front porch.

The Canary Island date palm is an ornamental relative of the edible date palm, Phoenix dactylifera. Palms are not really trees at all, rather more closely related to grasses. They grow from the top and have no woody tissue.

This specimen and two others on the property were planted by the Gamble family. At the time, Canary Island date palms were symbols of wealth. Of the three palms planted by the Gambles, two remain: this one and the palm in the watershed garden near Embarcadero Rd.

Look to the right of the palm, at the trees on either side of the front porch.

This well-formed, multi-trunked Japanese maple and its partner on the other side of the front door are lovely standing near the Gamble house.

The house was built in 1902 for the Gamble family, who moved here from Kentucky after the eldest son enrolled at Stanford University. Daughter Elizabeth lived in the house until her death in 1981 at age 92.

Turn around to see the Southern Magnolias.

These two large old Southern magnolias are the centerpiece of the front lawn.

Many Southern magnolias were planted along Palo Alto’s streets in the early 1900s by the Woman’s Club of Palo Alto. Notice that the lower limbs are only a few feet above the lawn, unlike the street trees, whose lowest limbs are pruned for truck clearance.

Continue along the driveway to the other side of the house.

Chinese tallow trees grow to 35’ with an upright, rounded canopy and lovely heart-shaped leaves. The light green leaves of Chinese tallow trees are dense, but they flutter at the slightest breeze, giving the tree an airy look. This tree is known for its dramatic red, yellow, or purple fall color. The name “tallow tree” is derived from the Chinese practice of using the waxy coating around the seeds for making candles.

This species was a particular favorite of Elizabeth Gamble. This tree and two others along the side of the house were moved here from an estate in Woodside as mature trees.

Turn left and then right towards the sundial. You are standing in the allée.

These 14 trees form an allée, the French word for a formal garden promenade bordered by trees or bushes and punctuated by a feature at each end (fountain and bench in this case). The site was replanted in 2014, replacing the original weeping cherries which had begun to decline due to sunburn (a common issue with the weeping form) and eventually boring insects.

Look at the trees along Churchill, on the other side of the hedge.

This is the primary street tree along most of the perimeter of the garden. Tupelo is native to all but the most northern parts of the east coast where it is a major source of wild honey and brilliant crimson fall color. It is recommended only for irrigated sites.

Walk towards the Grotto fountain. Turn left at the end of the path. The English laurel tree is on the left.

Usually a large shrub, this exceptionally large English laurel has been trained as a tree. It is very tolerant of drought and shade and is relatively pest-free.

Turn around to see the Crape Myrtle.

This multi-stemmed tree is one of many crape myrtles along this path from Waverley Street to the back parking lot. They are relatively problem-free trees with showy summer flowers and brilliant fall leaf color. All crape myrtles bloom on new wood, so pruning in winter or early spring is important to increase flowering. The ‘Tuscarora’ cultivar was developed by the US Arboretum as part of their crape myrtle hybridization program designed to introduce mildew-resistant varieties. All of their introductions are named for US indigenous tribes such as Tuscarora, Muskogee, and Natchez.

Turn right on the brick path to the oak tree on the Carriage House patio. The oak is just in front of the Carriage House.

A deciduous oak closely related to the red oak, the high-branching broad canopy makes it an excellent shade tree. In fall, the deeply lobed leaves will turn a vibrant reddish-brown before dropping. Scarlet Oak is originally from the eastern United States and southern Canada. It can grow to 50-70 feet tall.

Walk toward the Tea House and you’ll see the Japanese maples just before entering the courtyard.

This bed and the adjacent beds provide a glimpse of the great differences in Japanese maples. Note the variety in size, leaf color, and leaf shape. Look for markers in to tell you the cultivar name of each tree.

Walk into the Tea House Patio. Behind the bench is the Red Oak.

Named for its spectacular red fall color, this deciduous oak is native to the eastern half of the U.S. The acorns of red oaks take two years to develop; the first year they are small and partially formed and in the second year they elongate and mature.

In the island bed by the Tea House is Eddie’s White Wonder Dogwood.

This tree is a hybrid between the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) and the Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii). It is easier to grow and has larger flowers than either of its parents.

Turn around and walk toward the fountain into the Wisteria Garden. To the left of the back porch is the Paperbark Maple.

This tree is best distinguished by its reddish, peeling, paper-like bark.

Peeling bark is a way for the tree to shed toxins; many birch trees use the same technique. The foliage is a brilliant red in the fall. This tree was planted in the late 1980s.

California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)

This multi-trunk tree is located at the edge of the parking lot near the handicap parking space. It is in the same genus as the as horse chestnuts and buckeyes, and is the only species of the genus native to the West. The 6” creamy-white flower spikes appear in April and May. This native tree is among the first to leaf out in spring and the first to lose its leaves in mid-summer. In the summer months, you’ll see the bare-branched trees along US 280 in Palo Alto with hanging husks containing seeds.

The trees are very long-lived with lifespans of 250-280 years.

The nuts or seeds are poisonous, and the nectar and pollen are toxic to honeybees.

Native Americans used the poison to paralyze schools of fish in small streams to make them easier to catch. Native groups boiled the seeds to leach out the toxins and the nuts could then be ground into a flour similar to acorn flower.

Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

Among the world’s tallest species, Coast Redwoods can grow 3–5’ per year. Their native habitat is coastal hills and valleys where foggy weather is more prevalent. In home gardens, they often reach 70–90’ with a spread of 15–30’. They grow well next to a watered lawn in full sun to part shade. Coast redwoods are protected by the City of Palo Alto; a permit is needed to prune or remove these trees.

That’s the end of our tour. We hope you enjoyed it. Please free to send us your comments, ideas and any suggestions you might have for future tours to gardenguides@gamblegarden.org.

Did you know that Gamble Garden is a 501c(3) non-profit organization? We receive no city, state or federal money and we charge no admission fee. All of our income derives from memberships, donations and special events. Please consider becoming a member and/or donating so that Gamble Garden can continue to be a place of respite, beauty and education for our community.  You can find details at https://www.gamblegarden.org/

For more information about Canopy, please visit canopy.org.

Photos courtesy of Doug Kalish and Matthew Buynoski.