Folk Music Jam Sessions — 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 today (Sept. 3) and Sept. 17, and Oct. 1, 15 and 29, Wyatt Deck.

Discover Plants from Down Under — A tour focusing on the Australian Collection, featuring specimens from western Australia. Its climate is similar to California’s, thus making the Australian natives well suited for Central Valley gardens. 10 a.m. Sept. 11, Wyatt Deck.

Shade or Sun? Find the Perfect Spot for Your Plant — In this tour of the Storer Garden, the arboretum offers guidance on where to put the plants in your own garden. 10 a.m. Sept. 12, gazebo.

Romeo and Juliet — Co-presented by the arboretum and the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble. 8 p.m. Sept. 16-19 and 23-26, gazebo. See separate story for ticket information, including how to reserve tickets.

The Terrace Garden — A guided stroll through the Arboretum Terrace Garden, a Mediterranean-style garden that is designed for year-round enjoyment. The garden features low-maintenance Mediterranean and California native plants in beds and containers. Birds and butterflies add to the beauty. The arboretum staff emphasizes water conservation and natural pest control, among the garden’s other safe and sustainable practices. 10 a.m. Sept. 18. The garden is on the east side of Borders bookstore in the Davis Commons shopping center, First Street and Richards Boulevard.

Plant Faire and Sale: Focus on California Native Plants —  The first sale of the season, Sept. 25, is a cause for celebration, with children's activities and live music. Up for sale: hundreds of varieties of plants (including Arboretum All-Stars), all well suited for the Central Valley. Also featuring house plants and exotics from the Botanical Conservatory. Free admission. Open to members only from 9 to 11 a.m. and to the public at large from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Members" refers to members of Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum; you can join at the gate to get early admission as well as a free plant. All members receive a 10 percent discount. (See below for membership details.) The Plant Doctor clinic provides diagnoses and treatment suggestions for plant pests and diseases; bring your problem plants in sealed plastic bags. Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive south of La Rue Road (the nursery is just beyond the Unitrans bus yard and across from the School of Veterinary Medicine).

Outstanding Oaks! — A tour of the arboretum’s world-class oak collection, with special emphasis on the new Oak Discovery Trail and the ways in which these majestic trees adapt to their environments 10 a.m. Sept. 25, gazebo.

Perennials in the Garden — A tour of mature perennials (flowering plants that can live for several years), with information on how to add such plants to your own gardens. The best time for planting in inland California is during the cool, rainy weather of fall and winter, when the plants’ root systems can become established before the hot, dry summer. 10 a.m. Sept. 26, gazebo.

Plant Sale: Fall Is for Planting — With experienced gardeners on hand to help you choose the best plants for your garden designs and conditions. Members of Friends of the UC Davis Arborertum receive a 10 percent discount; you can sign up at the gate, thereby receiving the discount as well as a free plant. Free admission. Open to the public, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Oct. 16, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive south of La Rue Road (the nursery is just beyond the Unitrans bus yard and across from the School of Veterinary Medicine).

All tours are free and open to the public. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”).

Annual membership: $15 student, $40 individual, $60 family/household. Membership can be arranged online, or call (530) 752-4880.