Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze Open daily from 9am-4pm until October 31st, 2019 Bring the whole family! • No Admission Fee Visit our farm animals • Free tram ride tour on weekends • Picnic on the grounds 22001 ShenAndOAh rOAd, PlymOuth, cA 95669
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Like bees to honey UC Davis Arboretum’s bountiful sales lure gardeners by Debbie Arrington
Photo courtesy of uc Davis arboretum
if you were dealing with a wholesaler or middlemen. We’re lucky; we’re our own middleman and grower. It’s hard to do that, so it’s a good thing we’re not open 365 days a year.” Instead, Lewis concentrates on three sales in fall and another set of sales in spring. A desire to help pollinators is driving current demand, he said. “There’s a lot of buzz about pollinators. It’s like 10 years ago, when drought-tolerant plants and California natives first started to get traction with Monch aster is a bee-friendly customers. When we first offered California favorite available at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery at UC Davis. natives, everything sold every single time. Now, it feels like that with pollinatorattractive plants. The good thing is there’s a lot of cross-over between drought-tolerant Maybe it’s pent-up demand or a need to plant and natives and pollinator plants.” something new. But when the Arboretum Some best sellers surprised him. Teaching Nursery at UC Davis hosted its first “Deerweed; it flew out the door!” Lewis said sale of the season, customers stretched past the of a little yellow California native shrub. “If I had parking lot. known, I would have grown more. Cascade Creek “People started lining up at 8 a.m.,” said nurs[goldenrod], I had 75 one-gallon [plants]. Next ery manager Taylor Lewis. “By 9 a.m., we had thing I knew, they were gone.” 300 people waiting to come in. We had more than Of course, Lewis has many, many more plants 1,500 people come through the door. It was one of available for the two remaining sales including the biggest events we’ve ever had.” such favorites as California fuchsia, penstemons If you missed it, don’t worry. The UC Davis and coffeeberry. Arboretum is hosting its second public sale from 9 “I’m really loving the Monch aster,” he added. a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, with a fall clear“It looks beautiful this time of year. I see so many ance sale set for Nov. 2. Admission is free. bees on those flowers! It’s a great choice for Before these sales, Lewis and his staff spend pollinators.” Ω months propagating and nurturing young plants, particularly drought-tolerant perennials, shrubs and trees that also attract pollinators. event detaiLs “I want as many awesome plants as we can get,” Lewis said. Fall plant sale, arboretum By his estimate, that’s about 25,000 plants in teaching nursery more than 700 varieties. Garrod Drive, UC Davis, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. “The joy for me is to grow them,” Lewis said, Oct. 12 and Nov. 2. “then wave goodbye as they go to new homes. Admission: Free Some gardeners get really attached to plants they Details: arboretum.ucdavis.edu propagate. Not me. Lewis is always on the lookout for something different. “We have lots of things people have never seen before,” he said. “We grow what retail nurseries Debbie arrington, an award-winning garden writer and lifelong don’t grow, and we can offer it at a fair price. gardener, is co-creator of the sacramento Digs Gardening blog and website. We don’t have to charge what you would pay 34
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