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UC Davis Arboretum
Volunteer Newsletter
March 2012
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The Arboretum: Not just for plants !
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Volunteers make Arboretum a people place
Whether it's helping a customer locate the perfect plant at the Teaching Nursery, spreading mulch around new plants , sharing photos and fun facts on local birds before leading a tour, or setting up tables and chairs for hosted gatherings, our volunteers make the Arboretum a beautiful, welcoming, and engaging place for people. It is no accident that the busiest visitor season of the year in the Arboretum coincides with the burst of spring growth and blossoms. Volunteers are rising to the occasion by dedicating their time and diverse skills and interests to make the Arboretum one of our guests' favorite places to spend time.
Arboretum service offers our volunteers a great "people" experience as well. Working side by side several hours each week, our volunteers share the companionship of their team members. Many lifelong friendships among volunteers have been forged over group planting projects, plant record updates, and outreach tables. We hope you find your time with us as enjoyable and rewarding as do Arboretum visitors. We know how key you are to the popularity of this extraordinary place!
Margaret Kralovec
Community Outreach Manager
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Volunteer Spotlight
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 | East End Gardeners (l to r): Pat Greene, Kend Linderholm, Melanie Pope, Bruce Watros, Doris Yano, Susan Hall, Ann Denvir, Martha Rehrman, Fred Rehrman, Philip Freshwater, and Gardening Specialist Mary Gibson
Photo: Ryan Deering |
 | Author Martha Rehrman and her husband Fred work on new plantings in the Australia New Zealand Collection.
Photo: Ryan Deering |
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East End Gardeners
Spruce Up "Down Under"
by Martha Rehrman, Volunteer Gardener and Friends Board Member
The Tuesday morning East End volunteer gardeners recently undertook a major planting effort in the New Zealand and Australian sections of the Arboretum. The volunteers spent two full mornings digging holes, planting, and trimming overhead trees to allow plentiful sunlight to encourage healthy plant growth.
Guided by Ryan Deering and Mary Gibson , the team planted over 110 specimens on a previously empty slope; some are proven to be successful for our soil and climate, and others are experimental, in which case we planted duplicates in both sunny and shady conditions. Ryan pointed out that part of the educational mission of the Arboretum is experimenting with new types of plants to learn which ones can thrive here - often with surprising successes. This bountiful array of plants, funded by a private donation, includes new varieties of New Zealand flax, Hebes, Australian tea trees, coast rosemarys, blueberry lilies, grevilleas, and Australian fuchsias. On your next walk along the south Australian paths, make sure you notice these new additions to our wonderful plant collection.
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Volunteer News Briefs
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Gerald Dickinson brings resourcefulness, creativity, and attention to detail in every volunteer project he takes on.
Photo: Carmia Feldman
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Ava Camille Fowler, 7 lbs. 13 oz., was born March 4, 2012.
Photo: Lisa Fowler
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Member Appreciation Plant Sale a Recordbreaker!
The March 10, 2012, kickoff event for the spring plant sale season broke all records for this annual member event. More customers, more income, more memberships! Thanks go to our regular volunteers who put in extra hours to help at this sale, as well as to our student volunteers from Alpha Phi Omega and the UC Davis ROTC. What a great start to a wonderful season!
Volunteers team up to invent a solution! Propagation and plant sale volunteer Gerald Dickinson and friend Ernie Head, retired shop lead at UC Davis Ag Engineering, partnered to make our new table cart more useful. They fabricated and welded steel plates to attach larger wheels onto the storage cart. Now, heavy loads of tables can be easily navigated across the gravel service yard, the decomposed granite aisles of the Teaching Nursery, and the pathways of the Arboretum where we set up events. Thank you, Gerald and Ernie, for your creative efforts!
Joyful News: Early this month, Nursery Manager Lisa Fowler and her husband Justin (former equipment operator with Grounds) welcomed Ava Camille into the world. All are healthy and happy! Congratulations to the doting parents, and welcome to our newest little plant-lover-to-be!
Don't Forget! Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Tuesday, June 26, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, Putah Creek Lodge
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Volunteer Opportunities
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Click HERE to see photos of the Volunteer "First Choice Sale" held on March 6, 2012.
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Membership Volunteer Janice Long and Friends Board Member Shirley Maus prepare for brisk business on March 10.
Photo: Katie Hetrick
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Cashier Co-leads Chris Craig-Veit and Kristi Davis, Asst. Nursery Manager Francesca Claverie, and Plant Counter Co-lead Terry Davison enjoy a few quiet moments before the doors open at the March 10 Member Appreciation Plant Sale.
Photo: Katie Hetrick
| Come join volunteer and noted artist Peter London for a special workshop, "Drawing Closer to Nature" on Sunday, April 15. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum! Discount for Friends members! |
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Spring Plant Sales
If you haven't committed to helping at the spring Plant Sales, please contact Margaret Kralovec to lend a hand on any or all of these dates!
April 13: Private UC Davis Plant Sale
11 am - 6 pm
April 14: 3Bs Public Plant Sale
9 am - 1 pm
April 18: Arboretum Invitational
12 - 3 pm
This Tour & Shop for garden clubs, master gardeners, and landscape designers will provide special access to the ATN for plant shopping.
April 28: Pollinator Conference Plant Sale
1 - 4 pm
May 19: Some Like It Hot! Public Plant Sale
9 am - 1 pm
Other Fun Events for Your Calendar
April 15: Drawing Closer to Nature Workshop
with Peter London
10am-4pm, Wyatt Deck,
(Rain location: Environmental Horticulture 146)
Fee: Friends members $65, general $75, includes materials
Want to draw deeper, closer to and with nature? The only prerequisites to our workshop are an open mind, an adventurous spirit, and a willingness to step outside. Peter London is an active studio artist whose work is in many private and public collections. Peter is generously donating all proceeds from this workshop to the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum. Pre-registration required: arboretum@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-4880. Class limited to 20.
April 28: CCUH Pollinator Gardening Workshop
Want to be part of the solution and create a pollinator paradise in your landscape? Join us for a workshop that will both inspire you and equip you with all the necessary tools! This event is part of the "Your Sustainable Backyard" series of events sponsored by the California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH).
April 28-29: Folsom Garden Tour
Tickets $12.
May 5: CCUH Rose Day
Tours, workshops, and rose sale. Keep checking the CCUH events page for updates on this event. Rose Day is part of the "Your Sustainable Backyard" series of events sponsored by CCUH.
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