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It's good to have Friends like these


Friends volunteers gather at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. (Photo courtesy UC Davis Arboretum) Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum celebrate 50th anniversary

They’ve annually contributed thousands of volunteer hours, helped raise more than $1 million for their favorite cause and host the most popular garden events in Davis.

It’s good to have Friends.

This summer, the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden are celebrating the group’s 50th anniversary. Like many 2021 commemorations, this golden anniversary will be mostly virtual with several ways that members, supporters and the public can participate online.

Without the help of its volunteer and fundraising organization, there would be no UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. Fifty years ago, the Friends formed to save the Arboretum when its university funding had been eliminated.

That was 1971. The budget cut was a crisis for the Arboretum, which was founded in 1936. Supporters and Arboretum volunteers, which had been a loose-knit group, formalized their role and created the Friends. Its bylaws were officially approved in May 1971, clearing the way for the Friends’ first fundraiser – an iris rhizome sale with varieties from the Arboretum’s collection.

Those fundraising efforts grew into the popular Arboretum Teaching Nursery plant sales. Before the pandemic, the sales – which have moved online – drew more than 8,500 customers annually.

The Friends also led the public effort to restore the Arboretum’s university funding and support. The 100-acre Arboretum is now a jewel, not only of the campus but the community. It’s open free to public access daily.

“We are thrilled to be honoring the 50th anniversary of this incredible group,” said Kathleen Socolofsky, assistant vice chancellor and director of the Arboretum and Public Garden, on the arboretum’s website. “Their role in the longevity of this campus and community resource cannot be overstated, and their involvement developing, maintaining, and continuing to support this organization remains critical, especially during times like these.”

The Friends have their own 50th anniversary website: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/friends-50th .

How to help celebrate? Here are some suggestions from the Friends:

Add your story to the Friends’ Memories Project , online.

Share social media posts with the hashtag #Friends50th.

Donate to the Friends’ Annual Appeal .

Become a Friends member .

And visit the Arboretum. Appreciating its beauty and all the hard work its represents is a wonderful way to celebrate this milestone, too.

Details and directions: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu .

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Garden checklist for week of June 7

Afternoon highs are expected to be back in the mid 90s by midweek, then edging towards triple digits. Plan your planting and garden activities accordingly.

* Remember to water early.

* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or other summer favorites. Make sure they stay hydrated.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.


* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth