Claudia’s Garden: A Love Story

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Claudia’s Garden: A Love Story

Have you ever dreamed of a magical secret garden? Well, Gilroy Gardens actually has one! It’s called Claudia’s Garden, and it’s the very first garden that Michael Bonfante planted at the park. He loved it so much that he named it for his wife, Claudia.

Grand Entrance

A Grand Entrance

As you enter Claudia’s Garden (across from the Apple & Worm ride), you’ll walk right under the amazing Arch Tree. If you look carefully, you’ll see it’s actually two trees! Many years ago, a man named Axel Erlandson took two very young American Sycamore trees and carefully trained them to grow together in an arch shape. You’ll find many other of Axel’s famous Circus Trees, like the Basket Tree and Four-Legged Giant, throughout the park.

Circle Stars

FUN FACTS

When Michael Bonfante moved the Arch Tree to Gilroy Gardens, he was afraid the tree might split apart, so he built special wooden box that was wide enough to hold both trunks. That box weighed 36,000 pounds—about as much as 3 elephants!

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Conifers and Color

Claudia’s Garden is a quiet and peaceful place. It’s fun to wander on the curved paths and listen to the gurgling creek that flows through the garden. Most of the trees in this garden are conifers, which means they have needle-like leaves and produce seed cones.

Some of the trees are twisted into cool shapes called topiaries. Others are naturally “weeping,” with their branches growing down toward the ground. You’ll also notice lots of annual flowers planted among all the trees, with bright colors that change with the seasons.

A Kids-Only Carousel

Claudia’s Garden has just one ride in it, but it’s a very special one. Claudia’s Carousel is an antique merry-go-round with miniature hand-painted horses that are sized just right for kids. (Sorry, grownups—you’re too big and will have to ride in the chariots instead.)

FUN FACTS

This carousel was built over 100 years ago and used to be inside a department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—all the way on the other side of the country!

Other Interesting Plants & Trees

As you walk through Claudia’s Garden, look for the tall trees with distinctive peeling bark. Those are River Birch trees that were planted to provide dappled shade that’s just right for the miniature conifers growing below (as well as people looking to get out of the warm sun).

Claudia’s Garden is also home to some five spectacular Gingko Bilboa trees. This ancient species (over 160 million years old!) with distinctive fan-shaped leaves has grown alongside conifers throughout history and may be the genetic link between conifers and deciduous trees.

There are also over 40 Japanese Maple trees with leaves in different shapes and colors in Claudia’s Garden. How many can you count?

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Step Into a World of Wonder

Most guests don’t notice it, but there’s also a “secret entrance” to Claudia’s Garden when you first enter the park. Keep your eyes open for it! It’s a little pathway just off the beginning of Sycamore Bridge, on the right side.

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A group of six diverse boys filling out worksheets about flowers on a wooden table with white and pink flowers on the middle of the table.

More Ways to Enjoy Claudia’s Garden

Claudia’s Garden is a magical place to explore—make sure you visit every time you come to Gilroy Gardens!

Students visiting during Natural Science Days or an Explorer Program field trip enjoy educational activities inside Claudia’s Garden.

Claudia’s Garden Landing, a romantic wood terrace that overlooks the garden and its serene waterfalls, is a lovely space that can be reserved for group events.

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Arch circus tree in front of Claudia's Garden sign

How to Visit Claudia’s Garden

Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park is open from March through December and includes six majestic gardens, 40+ rides and attractions, and over 10,000 trees.

You can get discount single-day tickets online—or enjoy multiple visits throughout the year with a Premium or Value Membership. Children two and under are always free. Gilroy Gardens is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization, so all Memberships are tax-deductible.

Let’s Learn About Cherries!

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Let’s Learn About Cherries!

The Gilroy Gardens Cherry Jubilee is a fruit-filled celebration of the local cherry harvest, open daily from June 6 to July 6 at Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park. To get everyone in the spirit, let’s learn all about summer’s favorite fruit!

Here are 10 fun facts about cherries:

1. Cherries have been grown in Gilroy even longer than garlic.

Sure, Gilroy is known as the “Garlic Capital of the World.” But cherries have actually been growing here even longer than garlic—for over 110 years, in fact! Gilroy is part of the Santa Clara Valley, which used to be known as the “Valley of the Heart’s Delight” because it was filled with beautiful flowering fruit orchards (including cherries, apricots, pears, and prunes) as far as the eye could see.

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2. There are still a lot of cherries grown in Gilroy.

Although you’ll find more houses than farms these days, there are still an estimated 1,000 acres of cherry trees growing in and around Gilroy—and that makes for a lot of cherries to harvest! To enjoy them fresh off the farm, visit one of Gilroy’s many fruit stands like Ralph’s Cherry Hut, the Very Merry Cherry Stand, The Cherry Shack, or LJB Farms. And don’t forget Casa de Fruta, the grand orchard resort that started out as a simple roadside cherry stand and now includes a restaurant, a candy shop, a merry-go-round, cool log cabins you can stay in, and even the Casa de Choo Choo train.

3. Farmers really have tried using monkeys to harvest their fruit!

The Cherry Jubilee character of Nannerz the mischievous monkey is based on real-life monkeys who, according to local legend, were hired by a farmer who was looking for a cheaper way to pick his crops. (This was long before machines had been invented to help make harvesting easier.) He’d heard about monkeys being trained to pick coconuts in tropical areas, so he imported 500 monkeys from Panama and let them scamper about his orchard. They did indeed pick all the juicy fruit—but promptly ate up his entire harvest!

4. Cherries can be sweet or tart—or somewhere in between.

Cherries are grouped into sweet cherries and tart cherries. Most of the cherries grown in California are sweet cherries, like Bing, and are perfect for eating fresh off the tree. Tart cherries are mostly grown in Michigan and Wisconsin. They’re a bit sour when eaten fresh, but hold their shape nicely when canned or baked into pies. There are dozens of cherry varieties, each with its own unique color, shape and flavor. Be sure to stop by the “Which Cherry Are You?” exhibit at the Cherry Jubilee to see which one best matches your own unique personality!

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5. Cherries that are grown in California are enjoyed by people all over the world.

Cherries grown in California are shipped throughout the United States and even to other nations, including Canada, China, and Japan. To ship that far, cherries have to be harvested very carefully, then “hydrocooled” quickly using cold water. Then they’re packed into refrigerated shipping containers that keep them fresh for about two weeks.

6. You can get thousands of cherries from just one tree.

Did you know that a single mature cherry tree can produce up to 7,000 cherries in a single season? That’s about 100 pounds of cherries—which is enough to make at least 65 delicious cherry pies. Yum!

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7. Many farmers today use machines to pick their cherries.

That farmer who once tried using monkeys would be amazed to know that today, a tree-shaking machine can harvest an entire cherry tree in just 7 seconds! The machine is designed to grip the trunk or branches, then shake just the right amount to knock off the ripe fruit so it falls below. Some shakers even have conveyor belts to move the collected produce to a truck or bin.

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8. Cherries got their start long, long ago and far, far away.

The sweet cherry originally grew somewhere in Asia and was probably carried to Europe by birds. The Greeks were the first to plant cherry trees; later, the Romans planted them along roadsides and used the trees for both wood and fruit. Sweet cherries came to the U.S. with English colonists in the 1600s, and later were introduced to California by Spanish missionaries. In the 1800s, pioneers and fur traders brought sweet cherries westward to Washington, Oregon, and California.

9. Cherries have some interesting relatives.

You might not be too surprised to know that cherries are distant cousins to other tasty fruits like plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. Those are all known as “stone fruits” because they have a sweet, juicy flesh that grows around a hard, inedible pit. But did you know that all those stone fruits are all part of the same family as roses?

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10. Cherries are good for you!

It’s amazing to think that something so sweet and delicious as a cherry can be healthy too. In fact, fresh cherries are packed with good-for-you fiber, vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy and strong. Some cherries (especially tart varieties) may even help you sleep better at night. So help yourself to a handful of juicy red cherries today—and enjoy sweet dreams of all the fun you’ll have during the Gilroy Gardens Cherry Jubilee!