YOUR BACK YARD

UC Davis’ California Center for Urban Horticulture announced two programs in the Your Sustainable Back Yard series:

• Pollinator Gardening — The program includes entomologists, horticulturists and design experts “to inspire gardeners and equip them with all the necessary tools to provision pollinating insects in their own landscape.” 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 28. The program starts with formal presentations until 1:15 p.m. in 1001 Giedt Hall. Then, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., workshop participants are welcome to an open house at the Honey Bee Haven and a pollinator plant sale at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Registration and more information.

• Rose Day — A combination workshop and two-day plant sale, open to the public both days. Each person attending the workshop will receive a free 4-inch Cinco de Mayo rose, recognizing the fact that this year’s Rose Day, the fifth annual, falls on Saturday, May 5.

The workshop opens at 8 a.m. with a Romance & Legend rose tour (in English and Spanish) in the arboretum’s Storer Garden, then moves to Foundation Plant Services for breakout sessions with rose breeding experts Jacques Ferare and James Sproul, followed by lunch. The program concludes with two tours: the All-American Rose Selection Testing Garden and the Foundation Plant Services Rose Collection.

The plant sale runs from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 6. Roses will sell for $25 per plant, $22 each for five or more, $18 each for 10 or more — with proceeds benefiting horticulture education at UC Davis.

Tours of the eight-acre rose collection will be available from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, via shuttle bus from the plant sale.

Registration and more information.

A plant sale for UC Davis affiliates only is scheduled in the arboretum next Friday, April 13, perfect for those of us who commute and can't make the plant sales that are normally held on weekends.

In fact, one of those weekend sales is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 14.

But the day before is just for us — staff, faculty, students, volunteers, retirees and members of the Cal Aggie Alumni. Please be sure to bring your ID or other proof of your UC Davis affiliation.

The private plate sale will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The organizers said they are bringing in Swabbies, a Sacramento restaurant, to run a food booth — selling gourmet tacos and other tasty treats, including vegetarian options.

Ten reasons why you should go!

The April 13 and 14 sales will take place in the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive, just beyond the Unitrans bus yard south of La Rue Road. The theme for both sales is 3Bs: Birds, Bees and Beneficials, focusing on plants that attract and support pollinators. See box for information about a forthcoming workshop: Pollinator Gardening.

Here is what the arboretum is offering April 13 and 14: hundreds of different kinds of plants, including many of the Arboretum All-Stars as well newly introduced and unusual garden plants that are hard to find or not available in commercial nurseries. Most of the available plants have been grown in Davis and will thrive in Central Valley conditions,

As always, experienced gardeners will be on hand to advise on the best plants for shoppers’ garden conditions. At the Plant Doctor booth, plant pathology graduate students will diagnose plant pests and diseases — people are welcome to bring samples of problem plants (in sealed bags).

Members of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum receive a 10 percent discount — and you are welcome to join at the gate. Every new member also receives a $10 coupon.

Interested in what you will see at the plant sales? Take a preview tour, 2 p.m. Saturday (April 7), at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

MORE AT THE ARBORETUM

Walk With Warren — Warren Roberts, arboretum superintendent emeritus, guides this tour of the native plant garden. Noon Wednesday, April 11, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.

Folk Music Jam Session — Pull out your fiddles, guitars, mandolins, penny whistles, pipes, flutes, squeezeboxes — you name it! — and join your fellow musicians during the lunch hour for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and other world music. All skill levels welcome. Listeners, too! Noon-1 p.m. Friday, April 13 and 27, and May 11 and 25, Wyatt Deck.

Art workshop: Drawing Closer to Nature — With studio artist Peter London. The only prerequisites: an open mind, an adventurous spirit and a willingness to step outside. $65 (members) or $75, including materials. A benefit for the arboretum, with London donating his time. Class limited to 20, preregistration required at arboretum@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-4880. 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sunday, April 15, Wyatt Deck (or 146 Environmental Horticulture, in the event of rain).

Poetry in the Garden: Andy Jones and Bob Stanley — Jones is a lecturer in the Department of English and the University Writing Program, and faculty adviser to the undergraduate journal of creative writing, Nameless Magazine. He hosts Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour on radio station KDVS. Stanley, a teacher, is the poet laureate of Sacramento and president of the Sacramento Poetry Center. In 2009, he edited the collection Sometimes in the Open, an anthology of poems by 65 poets laureate from around the state. Noon-1 p.m. Thursday, April 26, Wyatt Deck.

Poetry in the Garden: Justin Desmangles, with musical accompaniment by Harley White Jr. — Desmangles is the host of KDVS Radio’s weekly New Day Jazz, featuring jazz, poetry, political commentary and interviews. Desmangles’ poetry and journalism have appeared in Amerarcana, Shuffle Boil, Konch, Drumvoices and Black Renaissance Noire. White, from Sacramnento, is a pop recording artist, a member of two Latin jazz ensembles and an award-winning bassist with the Harley White Jr. Jazz Orchestra. Noon-1 p.m. Thursday, May 17, Wyatt Deck.

Some Like it Hot: Summer Bloomers and Sizzling Deals — Plant sale, end of season clearance sale with a focus on the stars of the summer garden. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 19, Arboretum Teaching Nursery. Open to the public.

Davis Shakespeare Ensemble: Henry V — A thorough portrait of heroism as King Henry rallies his outnumbered army to defeat France on its home turf. The ensemble looks at this classic in a whole new way, presenting the war epic with a small cast in an intimate setting. June 14-July 1, gazebo.

All programs are open to the public, and all are free except the art workshop and Henry V. More information on arboretum events: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”). More information on Henry V is available from the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble.

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