From daisies and lavender to sunflowers and orange blossoms, flower gardens not only result in beautiful table centerpieces, bragging rights and a joyful hobby. They can also be hugely beneficial to local pollinators and, by close extension, food security and biodiversity.
Future favorites are the plants, handpicked by our expert horticulturists, as selections that are not only beautiful, but habitat-supporting and primed to thrive in the face of our changing climate.
Volunteers with the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden help maintain gardens that support vital habitat for pollinators including birds, bees and a variety of other animals and insects.
Fall is a great time to collect seeds for sowing in Northern California's Central Valley. Freshly collected seed often has a particularly high viability. Find tips for collecting seeds from milkweed, buckwheats, yarrow and coyote mint.
Ann Daniel, volunteer and former board president for the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, moved to Davis from Austin, Texas and quickly got to work creating a climate-ready landscape for her own yard as well as helping serve as a catalyst for the development of other test gardens in her retirement community.
Taylor Lewis, nursery manager, recommends a few plants he doesn't want you to miss when shopping at our upcoming plant sales. In addition to his brief critiques we included more information about these selections from our plant inventory photo gallery.
This fall, as part of our affiliation with Bee Campus USA, the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is encouraging residents to “leave the leaves”, a seasonal effort to provide habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators, and other invertebrates.
After years of work and research on the Texas Tree Trials Research Project, Arboretum and Public Garden staff and Learning by Leading™ students have started planting test trees at trial sites.
As we look to the future, we want to broaden our scope to support landscapes that are not just sustainable, but also resilient. Find plant recommendations and tips on how to build a resilient garden at home.
