Urban Greening grant recommended for funding

A joint application for an Urban Greening grant filed by the Arboretum, led by Arboretum Assistant Director of Horticulture Emily Griswold, and the City of Davis to green the Downtown Davis Parkway has been recommended for full funding by the California Natural Resources Agency. The recommendation is up for approval by the Strategic Growth Council at their May 10th meeting, and if approval is given the Arboretum and City of Davis could be granted $891,304 to carry out improvements of pedestrian and bike connections from the Davis Commons parking lot into the Arboretum.

The restoration includes adding improvements to approximately 3.5 acres of a remnant section of Putah Creek for wildlife habitat, reconfiguring a section of bike trail to improve bike/pedestrian access with new wayfinding signage, adding more visitor-friendly elements to the California Native Plant GATEway Garden (read more about the California Native Plant GATEway Garden here), and installing bio-swales and pervious concrete to catch parking lot run-off. One of the areas slated for improvement from the Greening Grant is the currently unused portion of land between Davis Commons and the Australian Collection of the Arboretum at the east end (see photo above).

The three proposals made for the grant tied for the top score out of the 24 applicants recommended for funding – Davis was ranked #1 along with San Diego Canyonlands and the LA Conservation Corps. Read more about the Urban Greening Grant Program for Sustainable Communities here.

April Plant Sales: Recap

The Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum are almost done with another successful season of plant sales at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. With four successful sales under their belts (and two record-breaking sales) they have one sale left on May 19th from 9 am – 1 pm. “Some Like It Hot: Summer Bloomers and Sizzling Deals” is one of the featured events in the Green Gardener Program put on by the Regional Water Authority. This is one of the favorite sales of the year, known for its special deals on roses and other select plants.  Along with the Green Gardeners, Solano Master Gardeners will be exhibiting irrigation methods that conserve water. The Arboretum will also be soliciting input from customers on newly designed signage ideas for Arboretum gardens, Arboretum t-shirts will be available for purchase, and Swabbies taco truck will be on site.

Read a recap of the March 10th Friend Us! Member Appreciation plant sale here.

 

UC DAVIS PRIVATE PLANT SALE
The UC Davis Invitational, held Friday, April 13, was a successful new plant sales event designed especially for the UC Davis community, including staff, faculty, students, CAAA members, retirees, and volunteers associated with the UC Davis campus and its professional schools. This weekday sale permitted the Arboretum to open its Teaching Nursery gates to the UC Davis community on a weekday, when folks were already on campus. Late hours permitted members of our Sacramento offices and the Med Center to attend as well.  Despite the rain, there was excellent turnout. Sales that brought in more than $13,000 will be used to fund programs and operations at the UC Davis Arboretum.

View a slideshow of the April 13th sale here.

 

The 3Bs PLANT SALE: BIRDS, BEES, and BENFICIALS
The first public sale of the season: “The 3Bs: Birds, Bees and Beneficials,” set yet another attendance record. Featuring plants that encourage beneficial wildlife for the home landscape, this event was enhanced by a vermiculture composting exhibit.

View a slideshow of the April 14th sale here.

 

ARBORETUM INVITATIONAL
Garden clubs, master gardening groups and landscape designers enjoyed a morning of open-house tours of the Arboretum collections followed by lunching and plant shopping in the Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Gray pine removed on California Avenue

In the last week of March, Grounds and Landscape Services removed a gray pine tree from the Arboretum that was located at the corner of California Avenue and La Rue Road. Pictured above you can see Russell Johnston of Grounds and Landscape Services removing the gray pine one piece at a time. (Photo by Professor of Environmental Horticulture, Jim Harding.)

The tree was in decline and posed a safety hazard due to its potential to fall. According to Warren Roberts, Superintendent Emeritus of the Arboretum, the pinecones were also a concern; if a pinecone were to fall from that height it would do as much damage as a bowling ball!

Thanks to Grounds and Landscape services for removing the tree and demonstrating how our integrated teams work together to improve the health and safety of our campus’s urban forest.

Click here to view a slideshow of photos from this project taken by Dr. Jim Harding, Professor, Environmental Horticulture. Staff from Grounds and Landscape Services frequently collaborate with Dr. Harding and his students on projects from large tree removals to pruning demonstrations. These photos will be used as an instructional tool for his students.

At UC Davis Russell Ranch, research begins as wildflowers bloom

UC Davis Russell Ranch, a little-known, but heavily-utilized part of our campus land, is located 5 miles west of the main campus and is approximately 380 acres. The land was acquired by the university in 1990 to provide an area for the expansion of agricultural and environmental research.

In 2003 Public Garden team members Andrew Fulks and J.P. Marié began work on the ranch to convert 50 acres from row crops to native perennial grasslands; this effort served not only to mitigate the loss of habitat for the Swainson’s Hawks and Burrowing Owls disturbed by campus construction, but also to provide researchers an area to conduct forb studies. Forbs, or wildflowers, are an important part of a grassland ecosystem, providing habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects.  They are, however, less ‘predictable’ than grasses, as their germination and subsequent growth is extremely variable based on rainfall and other weather conditions. Luckily, the 2010 and 2011 conditions were perfect for forb germination and researchers have already started using the areas for studies!

Management of the forb and grassland areas will continue to use a combination of mowing, grazing, burning, and selective herbicide to control annual exotic weeds and keep the grasslands healthy and diverse.

For more information about this area of campus visit UC Davis Capital Resource Management.

New merchandise to help support outreach and education programs

With the help of Nancy Shapiro, Co-President of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum board, experienced jewelry designer and artisan, the Arboretum is delving into the world of retail product sales by creating one-of-a-kind pieces unique to its collections. To assist the Arboretum in this effort, UC Davis Campus Grown, a program whose mission is to transform unused assets into retail products, will expand to include a line of jewelry created from the leaves of valley oaks grown in the Arboretum. (See photo of oak pin above.)

In addition to jewelry, the Arboretum has found sales of Arboretum branded t-shirts popular with customers at its April Plant sales. Two different designs were available for purchase at the April 14th Plant Sale featuring the Arboretum 75th Anniversary logo and original art drawn by Nursery Manager Lisa Fowler. The t-shirts (shown below) will be available at our May 19th Plant Sale and then available for a limited time through the UC Davis Store located in downtown Davis.

Sales from the purchase of these items will provide another source of support for Arboretum collections and public education programs.

Shields Oak Grove Turns 50

This is an excerpt from the UC Davis Dateline article. Read the full article here.

Acorns from around the world have grown into a magnificent scientific collection and a monumental sight: the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove, dedicated 50 years ago this month in the UC Davis Arboretum.

The university dedicated the grove on April 4, 1962, the day the grove’s namesake turned 100. Shields, one of the university’s founding fathers, died five months later.

Last week, in honor of the grove’s 50th anniversary, the arboretum hosted about 50 people — including Jane Keller, Shields’ niece — for a celebration under the Persian oaks near the grove’s entryway.

The arboretum grew the Persian oaks (Quercus castaneifolia) from acorns sent in 1964 from the Kew Gardens (the Royal Botanic Gardens) outside London.

“They were among some of the first oak grove plantings and they have grown to an exceptional 90 feet tall,” said Emily Griswold, oak grove curator.

The anniversary celebration brought together several people with strong connections to those Persian oaks and the hundreds of other oaks in the collection: people who were there at the beginning, or their descendants in a show of the grove’s multigenerational impact.

People like Professor Emeritus Dick Harris, chair of the arboretum committee at the time of the grove’s establishment; his wife, Vera; and their son Dan, who played in the grove as a child.

The grove’s 50th anniversary comes the same year as the arboretum’s 75th, allowing Assistant Vice Chancellor Kathleen Socolofsky, arboretum director, to revel in celebrating “with the people who created this place and continue its preservation.”

Read more about the Shields Oak Grove here.

Link to a slideshow of the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove 50th Anniversary Oak Planting Ceremony.