UC Davis Arboretum hosts first spring plant sale (finally)

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.