The plant labels in the gardens haven’t been updated for three years, and as you can imagine the labels began to degrade over time and the landscape changes. Thanks to a mini-grant from Thrivent, we were able to purchase materials for new plant labels that are UV resistant. Education is an important aspect of the gardens, and plant labels add so much; and, as an additional feature, we have added QR codes to the labels of the Arboretum All-Stars, so our visitors can find even more information about these plants.

As a volunteer-operated garden, we rallied volunteers for a label party one Saturday afternoon, making 300+ new plant labels—we typed, printed, cut, and laminated-- while eating yummy food and listening to jazzy music. All the work to inventory, fabricate, and install the labels was done by volunteers.

If you’re ever curious about the identity of a plant in Central Park Gardens but don’t see a label, snap a phone photo and email it to us at centralparkgardens@gmail.com or post it to our Davis Central Park Gardens Facebook page.

How Does a QR Code Work?

A QR code, or Quick Response Code, is a 2-dimensional bar code made out of a pattern of squares. The codes are designed to be scanned by a cell phone camera and to quickly transmit information, such as a web address. If your phone doesn’t already have a QR Code reader, you can download a free app to add that functionality to your phone.