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UC Davis Arboretum hosts first spring plant sale (finally)

After canceling March event, Arboretum nursery offers 'split sale' to Friends and public

Expect plenty of plants -- and plenty of Friends of the Arboretum -- at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery sale Saturday.

Expect plenty of plants -- and plenty of Friends of the Arboretum -- at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery sale Saturday. Kathy Morrison

It’s finally here – but “Friends” still get first dibs.

On Saturday, April 8, the Arboretum Teaching Nursery at UC Davis hosts the first of its annual spring sales – a month after its original “Members Only” kickoff event was canceled due to too much rain and mud.

Called a “split sale,” this event has two parts: "Members only" from 9 to 11 a.m.; and the public sale from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those first two hours are open only to Friends of the Arboretum, its longtime support group of volunteers and donors.

April is Members Appreciation Month, says the arboretum staff. At this sale, that appreciation comes in the form of two hours of exclusive plant shopping, a $10-value appreciation gift and 10% off all purchases.

Not a Friend? No problem. New Friends can join at the gate or in advance online.

The Arboretum Teaching Nursery is located on Garrod Drive near UCD’s small animal veterinary teaching hospital on the university campus.

Before the event, prospective shoppers can check out the plant list and photos on the arboretum’s website at https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-sales.

This year’s inventory features hundreds of water-wise perennials, shrubs, bulbs, ground covers and trees – all proved to love growing in the Central Valley. That includes California natives as well as plants from other Mediterranean climates.

Featured are the ever-popular Arboretum All-Stars – tough, easy-care, low-water flowering plants with added benefits. Many of these plants attract birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators while adding beauty to our suburban landscapes.

Besides browsing the arboretum’s inventory online, shoppers also can see featured varieties growing in the nursery’s demonstration gardens.

Upcoming public sales are scheduled for April 29 and May 13; the latter is the annual spring clearance event.

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

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Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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