Where do plant lovers hang out in Sacramento? Try the Shepard Center

Since January signals the start of a new gardening year, it's a good time to get in on the ground floor of yearly plans by the region's gardening groups.

Many such organizations in Sacramento make their home base at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center in McKinley Park. The city calls the nonprofit corporation that runs the center the Sacramento Garden & Arts Center, which is a bit confusing. The structure, built in Mid-century Modern style in 1958, was named for Iva Gard Shepard, who decades ago was the Sacramento Bee's garden columnist and who also served for many years as the center's board president.

The Shepard Center calendar is packed, though most of the public events -- shows and plant sales -- don't get rolling until March. But the clubs and organizations based there are active and meeting now. They range from the Capital City African Violet Society to the Sacramento Weavers' and Spinners' Guild. Interested in bonsai, flower arranging, irises, cymbidiums or carnivorous plants? There's a group for each. California native plants, too. Non-gardening clubs focus on antiques, photography, watch collecting, porcelain artistry, textile arts, and clay and hot-glass artistry.