News

Arboretum fall sale focuses on native plants

October 7, 2010

The UC Davis Arboretum fall sale will highlight California native plants for gardening this year.

The second fall plant sale this year will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 16 at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Plants offered will include a wide variety of drought-tolerant shrubs, perennials and bulbs. Shoppers will be able to visit various demonstrations at the nursery with California plants used alone, native plants mixed with Arboretum All-Star selections, and plants selected for attracting birds and beneficial insects.

Highlights include:

• The hard-to-find Catalina ironwood (Cercocarpus betuloides 'blanchae'), is a small evergreen tree, with broader and more lush-looking foliage than the rest of its species. Able to tolerate low or very low levels of irrigation, the Catalina ironwood also fits in narrow spaces because of its upright form. Clusters of small white flowers provide nectar and pollen in early spring and are followed by twisting swirls of fuzzy seeds.
• The Ray Hartman California lilac (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’) is an Arboretum All-Star and has green shiny leaves and large clusters of blue flowers in spring. This plant is often listed as important for pollen and nectar supply for native insects in early to mid-spring. As long as it has good winter drainage, this lilac variety is one of the more adaptable of its species for heavier soils.
• One plant certain to bring hummingbirds and pollinating insects would be an Epilobium canum variety, sometimes called California fuschia. These plants frequently have gray-green foliage topped with red blooms. In addition to hummingbirds, these plants attracts shiny, fat carpenter bees that help pollinate crops.

A full list of plants available can be downloaded from the UC Davis Arboretum.

The UC Davis Arboretum is committed to practicing, promoting and teaching Central Valley-wise gardening. This concept takes into consideration water-saving irrigation systems, mulching, companion plantings, biological pest control and other sustainable horticultural practices.

To find out more about how UC Davis is making use of smart, sustainable landscape design, visit Campus Progress: Water and Landscaping.