The California Wild Garden opened in Exposition Park in Los Angeles in 1916. Planned by the English horticulturist Theodore Payne (1872–1963), it featured hundreds of Californian plants. Payne claimed scientific expertise as well as practical knowledge. In the next decade, he was also instrumental in the foundation of botanic gardens in Santa Barbara and Santa Ana, which focused on native plants and had both scientific and aesthetic aims. Earlier in his career, he had championed the distribution of millions of non-native eucalyptus trees throughout the state. This essay examines Payne's multiple roles, and the liminal space occupied by horticulturists between gardening and science in progressive-era California.

加利福尼亚野生花园于1916年在洛杉矶的博览会公园开幕。由英国园艺家西奥多·佩恩（Theodore Payne，1872-1963）计划，它以数百种加利福尼亚植物为特色。佩恩声称拥有科学专业知识和实践知识。在接下来的十年中，他还为建立在圣塔芭芭拉和圣安娜的植物园打下了基础，这些植物园的重点是本土植物，既具有科学意义又具有美学目的。在他职业生涯的早期，他曾倡导在全州范围内分发数百万种非本地桉树。本文探讨了佩恩的多重角色，以及在进步时代的加利福尼亚，园艺家在园艺和科学之间所占据的门槛空间。