Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

UC Davis Arboretum starts online plant sales

Teaching Nursery offers contact-less pick-up -- but only to Friends

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED OCT 20, 2020

This is the typical scene during a past fall plant sale (2018 in this case) at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. However, this fall's sale will be online, with a rollout of shopping days for members of Friends of the Arboretum. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

If ever there was a good time to join the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum, this is it.

After months of postponed plant sales, the Arboretum Teaching Nursery is about to launch its new online plant sale “store,” but it will be open only to Friends of the Arboretum and Davis Botanical Society members.

Home to thousands of water-wise favorites as well as drought-tolerant exclusives and California natives, the nursery announced its plant sale plans Monday.

“In appreciation for the support of members, the fall season is members-only shopping,” it posted online. “We are rolling out access to the online store first to current members — in waves based on membership tier — to make sure everyone has the best possible experience.”

But there will still be an opportunity for newcomers.

“On November 2, we will post the link to the online plant store on this page ( https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-sales ) and everyone who is not currently a member will be invited to join and shop at that time,” the post said.

The pandemic had forced the nursery to cancel its popular in-person one-day plant sales, which regularly attracted thousands of buyers.

According to nursery manager Taylor Lewis, the online concept was tested last week with favorable results. This new method allows buyers to stay safe while also getting the plants they want – just in time for fall planting season.

“There's a huge inventory at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, so we're confident every member who wants to shop this fall will find wonderful plants,” said the nursery’s post. “You'll be able to shop from the convenience of home, pay for your order online and then schedule a contact-less appointment to pick up your order curbside at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery .”

The sales not only benefit local landscapes, but support the arboretum and its work.

“In addition to making your own garden more sustainable, your plant sale purchases support the gardens, education programs and student environmental leaders of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden,” said the post. “In these times of fiscal uncertainty, support from people like you is critical.”

To join the Friends of the Arboretum and more details on the arboretum’s online plant sales: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-sales

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

fall planting gardening Sacramento native plants coronavirus plant sales Friends of the Arboretum UC Davis Arboretum perennials UC Davis

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Find our spring recipes here!

Local News

Thanks to our sponsor!

Sites We Like

Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!