The arboretum is lining up its little red wagons for the first plant sale of the year, this one focusing on California native plants. The sale is tomorrow (Sept. 25) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with children's activities and live music.

The first two hours are for members only: members of Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum. Not a member? Not to worry. 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.)

Those wagons are what you can use to haul your purchases to your car.

You will have your choice of hundreds of varieties of plants (including Arboretum All-Stars), all well suited for the Central Valley. The sale also will feature house plants and exotics from the Botanical Conservatory.

Organizers said the Plant Doctor clinic will provide diagnoses and treatment suggestions for plant pests and diseases; bring your problem plants in sealed plastic bags.

The sale location is the 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). Admission is free.

The next plant sale is scheduled in October, with a theme of "Fall Is for Planting" — with experienced gardeners on hand to help you choose the best plants for your garden designs and conditions.

A free preview tour is set to begin at 2 p.m. Oct. 9 at the teaching nursery, and the sale itself is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 16, also at the teaching nursery. 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. (See below for membership details.) Admission is free.

During the preview tour, beginning and experienced gardeners alike are invited to learn about the best plants for the Central Valley's  climate, and to see examples of great plant combinations.

If you see something you like, chances are you will be able to buy it the next week.

Organizers said the sale will include many California native plants and Arboretum All-Stars, plants selected for their beauty, reliability, heat and drought tolerance, and value in attracting butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators.

MORE AT THE ARBORETUM

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 Oct. 1, 15 and 29, Wyatt Deck.

Romeo and Juliet — Co-presented by the arboretum and the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble. 8 p.m. Sept. 24-26, gazebo. See separate story for ticket information, including how to reserve tickets.

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.

Great Container Gardens — A program on creating gardens in small spaces, and enlivening decks and patios, by planting in multiple layers and grouping a variety of containers of different types and sizes, to create depth and density. 11 a.m. Oct. 2, Arboretum Terrace Garden, east side of Borders bookstore in the Davis Commons shopping center, First Street and Richards Boulevard.

Poetry in the Garden: Xico González — Gonzáles, who teaches in the Department of Chicana/o Studies, is an artist, poet, and political and cultural activist from Sacramento. He founded Revoltoso Books in 2000 and has published four poetry chapbooks, including The Indígena Poems (2003) and Poesía revoltosa (2004), as well as works in various literary journals. Noon Oct. 6, Wyatt Deck (or 126 Voorhies Hall, in the event of rain)

Science Café: Chumash Traditional Medicinal Uses of California Plants — With James D. Adams, a phamacologist, and Cecilia Garcia, a Chumash healer. They are the co-authors of Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West: Cultural and Scientific Basis for Their Use, and other works, and teach a course in Chumash healing at the University of Southern California, where Adams is an associate professor in the School of Pharmacy. 5:15 p.m. Oct. 6, Wyatt Deck (or 146 Environmental Horticulture in the event of rain). Light refreshments.

Opening Night: Readings by Creative Writing Faculty — Award-winning fiction writers and poets celebrate the new academic year, by reading from their works. The list of participants includes Lucy Corin, Greg Glazner, Pam Houston, Joe Wenderoth and Yiyun Li. Sponsored by the arboretum and the Department of English. 7 p.m. Oct. 14, Wyatt Deck (or 126 Voorhies Hall in the event of rain).

Birds That Winter in the Arboretum — This program, about bird-friendly gardening, including plants that attract birds, comes at a time when most of the fall migration should be completed, and birds have settled in to the arboretum for the winter. The program will start with a photo slide show of birds you might see in winter in the arboretum, and, then, weather permitting, the program will move outside to look for some of those birds. 11 a.m. Oct. 17, arboretum headquarters, La Rue Road.

All programs 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.