Education

Education is a critical part of the mission of the UC Davis Arboretum. We hope that our visitors will come away refreshed by the beauty of the gardens and eager to sample the pleasures of gardening. We encourage the use of appropriate plants and gardening practices for California's Central Valley. And we work hard to promote an understanding of our environment and a sense of personal responsibility for protecting the natural world.

We offer environmental education school programs for elementary school classes focusing on local habitats and Native Californian uses of plants.

Other ongoing education programs at the Arboretum include:

• Support for university courses in botany, horticulture, landscape architecture, geography, environmental studies, and many other fields. Arboretum staff teach courses, consult with faculty, give lectures, and lead field study exercises.
• Guided tours of the Arboretum gardens for the general public on weekends during the academic year (private group tours may be arranged in advance).
• Workshops and classes on topics such as beginning gardening, pruning, plant propagation, plant identification, and natural history.
• Field trips to public and private gardens and natural areas.
• Talks on current research in the plant sciences, gardens and natural areas around the world, conservation projects, and other botanical and horticultural topics.

Check the calendar page for upcoming educational programs and events.