WALKING TOUR HIGHLIGHTS of
LUTHER BURBANK'S GOLD RIDGE FARM

South End of Map

#1 Hybrid Black Walnut ( Juglans nigra hybrid)
A hybrid of native U.S. eastern black walnuts. Beginning in the 1880s, Burbank was among the first hybridizers of American walnuts. Presumably an experiment in progress, there are several more nearby.

#3 Shasta Daisy Collection (Leucanthemum x superbum varieties)
First introduced in 1901; one of Burbank’s best-known introductions. He worked more than 14 years to hybridize this new species from four different kinds of daisy from Europe and Japan. It has been developed into more than 100 varieties and is the offcial flower of the City of Sebastopol.

#4 ‘Paradox’ Walnut ( Juglans ‘Paradox’)
Introduced in 1893, Burbank developed this fast-growing lumber tree (it requires only 15 years to mature instead of the usual 50 to 60 years) by hybridizing the English walnut (J. regia) with the distantly related California black walnut (J. Hindsii), a difficult feat.

#5 Hybrid Chinese Chestnut (Castanea hybrid)
Burbank developed hybrid chestnuts from European, Japanese and Chinese species to increase their resistance to chestnut blight. This tree produces abundant crops of tasty, burr-covered nuts that are prized both by squirrels and humans. All the items on the Farm were being developed for their resistance to disease as well as tasty and abundant fruit. Please see also #24 .

#8 ‘Royal’ Hybrid Black Walnut ( Juglans ‘Royal’)
This Burbank introduction (1893) is a hybrid of California black walnut ( J. Hindsii) and Eastern ( J. nigra). The oldest tree on the Farm (1885) it was planted as a “witness tree” (a property line marker) and still produces almost a ton of nuts annually.

#9 Hybrid Mountain Ash or Jerusalem Pear (Sorbus domestica hybrids)
European relatives of the apple. Trees are drought, disease and pest resistant. Burbank doubled the size of the fruit, which resembles tiny pears borne in large clusters, but died (1926) before developing its delectability. Fruit must be ripened off the tree (bletted) to be edible; bright, beautiful colors in fall.