UC Davis Arboretum: a living museum, outdoor classroom, public garden

If you seek a relaxing outdoor outing this fall or anytime of the year, drive Interstate 80 west to the UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden. The historical arboretum, started in 1936, is a garden of 100 acres of demonstration gardens and scientific collections. It is a living museum, an outdoor classroom, a public garden with more than 22,000 trees and plants and a variety of wildlife (butterflies, birds, ants, geese, swans, snakes, lizards, bats, turkeys, coyotes, squirrels, jackrabbits, hawks, ducks, turtles and many more). The loop trail traversing the arboretum is 3.6 miles long. Use it to enjoy a peaceful tranquility to soothe the chaos in today's world. The 17 gardens on the trail are used by students and staff for research purposes. These collections are organized by taxonomy or geography. Oak Grove, Redwood Grove and Acacia Grove are world-renown taxonomy gardens. Other gardens of this type are White Flower, Conifer and Redbud collections. Geographical gardens today are the Mediterranean, Australian, California Foothills, Desert, East Asian, California Native, Northern California Coast, California Central Valley Perennials & Shrubs, Southwest USA & Mexican, and South American. Also peruse the 100 low-water Arboretum All-Star plants for ease and success in our foothills gardens. Visit https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-database. The arboretum is considered to be in the top-10 most beautiful botanical gardens in the United States. There are no gates or fences. It's open 24/7/365. Best of all, it's free (OK, OK, you have to pay $10 to park on campus on weekdays). Before visiting, you might call the arboretum to inquire about the guided tours, open bathrooms, teaching demonstrations, etc. In the time of COVID, you will need to ask. Monday through Friday, call 530-752-4880. However, an event that is scheduled for visitor viewing is Sheepmowing, Sept. 20-22, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Solano Field. But the big event gardeners can't miss each year is in October. This year's plant sale is online with curbside pickup, and the selection of low-water, easy-care plants perfect for our region is incredible. Members-only sales: The online store opens Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. Members of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden gain early access to our online plant sales and save 10 percent. To join, see https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/membership. Public sales: The online store opens to the public Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. and closes for the season at 1 p.m. Oct 25. The public and members are invited to shop. Important: For the public to gain access to our online plant sale store, they need to subscribe to our online e-newsletter, The Leaflet. To receive the e-newsletter, go to https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/subscribe. Curbside pickup: Upon placing your online order, you will receive a confirmation with a link to schedule your pickup time from Oct. 26-Nov. 13. 2021 is a good year to visit. The Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden are celebrating 50 years of service to the arboretum. In 1971, high inflation had driven the economy into the ground and the university could no longer fund its arboretum. A group of local leaders decided to band together and not only save the arboretum but plan for a brilliant, sustainable gardening future. If you visit, you will view their success story. Thank you for your fundraising, dreaming and planning services, dear friends, and Happy 50th Anniversary!