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Memberships give gardeners benefits all year long

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED DEC 19, 2019

A plant sale at the UC Davis Arboretum's Teaching Nursery is something to see. Members get 10 percent off prices, plus other benefits. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

Help the UCD Arboretum or California native plants with these gifts

All those "time's running out" and "last-minute gift idea" promotions do nothing but provoke anxiety, as far as I'm concerned.

So there's plenty of time for these two gift ideas, if you haven't thought of them already. They're great for a gardener you know, and for yourself. They come with yearlong benefits, and they help two terrific institutions that work hard to promote smart and beneficial horticulture.

The first is our area treasure, the 100-plus-acre Arboretum and Public Garden at the University of California, Davis, along with its 1-acre Teaching Nursery. The nursery's spring and fall plant sales are a must-attend for gardeners interested in climate-appropriate plants. There will be four plant sales this spring, and the first, on March 14, starts with two hours of members-only shopping. And members get 10 percent off any plant they buy at any of the sales. (The other sales will be April 4, April 26, and May 9.)

Joining the Friends at even the basic individual level ($48) brings other benefits, too:

-- A special gift at the March 14 Member Appreciation Sale.
-- Thank you gift for new members.
-- Two days of complimentary parking at UCD (that's worth $18 right there).
-- Free admission and discounts at more than 280 botanical gardens, including 33 around California.
-- 10 percent discounts at Davis-area retail gardens: Davis Ace Hardware, Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, Lemuria Nursery in Dixon and Silverado Building Materials & Nursery in Sacramento.
-- Member newsletter with seasonal gardening advice.

Benefits increase for Family ($72) memberships. At support levels of $120 (Manzanita Circle) and up, discounts and VIP events add up.

Check out all the membership details here .

By the way, the Arboretum is recruiting now for its 2020 volunteer corps. These folks work with the Arboretum staff to keep the gardens looking good. The deadline for applications is Jan. 17.

My second suggestion for a gift membership is the California Native Plant Society . Membership levels start at $50. This nonprofit organization does a lot of heavy lifting in the state to promote and protect California native plants and native habitat. Their botanical experts are top-notch, and their advocacy crew at the state Capitol is savvy and effective. I wrote for the membership magazine, Flora, for two years and was very impressed with the dedication of the staff.

Elderberry Farm twice a year sells native plants raised by Sacramento Valley

Chapter CNPS members.

The Sacramento Valley Chapter is one of 35 in the state, and is one of the most active. Elderberry Farm is the chapter's native plant nursery, on the Soil Born Farm property in Rancho Cordova, and if you haven't checked out the twice-yearly plant sales there, you've really missed out. Other busy chapters in the region are El Dorado and Solano County's Willis Linn Jepson Chapter .

Most chapters have monthly meetings; the next meeting for Sacramento Valley is 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, Sacramento. It will feature a talk by CNPS' own executive director, Dan Gluesenkamp.

CNPS and its chapters organize plant hikes, restoration projects, rare-plant treasure hunts and many other activities. Members receive Flora magazine four times a year and the research-focused Fremontia twice a year.

I do want to mention that the Sacramento region has many plant-specific garden clubs and organizations -- too many to list here -- that also would welcome a new member, from a gift or otherwise.

Happy giving for happy gardening in 2020!

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Keywords:

holiday traditions gardening Sacramento University of California plant sales garden clubs California Native Plant Society California natives UC Davis Arboretum gifts for gardeners

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

FALL

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

WINTER

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space

Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting

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Garden checklist for week of Dec. 14

Rain is due midweek, but there should be some partly sunny breaks between rain clouds, especially Thursday. Make the most of those opportunities and show your garden some TLC.

* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.

* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they’ll bloom again next December.

* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.

* Rake and compost leaves from trees, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Clear gutters and storm drains.

* Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Plant bulbs at two-week intervals to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.

* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.

* Bare-root season begins. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.

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