For environmental-minded gardeners, the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains is celebrating Earth Day with an Early Bird Native Plant Sale from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 24.
Individuals who want to join the arboretum or who are already members can attend the Member Sale from noon to 7 p.m. Friday.
?Native plants reduce the use of fertilizers and other chemical applications?and can be maintained with less watering,? said arboretum director, Julie Torseth.
?Our plant sale is a way to become acquainted with these plants that are really hard-to-find in the general nursery trade.
?We also have a nice selection of woodland plants for shade areas.?
With 15 years experience, horticulturist Scott Vogt has extensive knowledge about Kansas native plants.
?He is willing to talk with gardeners who want to use some of our beautiful natives to attract butterflies and birds,? she said.
The plant sale will continue with the FloraKansas Great Plains Plant Bazaar from May 6-10. For a complete list of plants, go to www.dyck arboretum/Events/FloraKansas/2010 Plant List.
The Dyck Arboretum will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2011.
To commemorate this milestone, anyone bringing a friend to the plant sale or becoming a new member, will be given a burr oak sapling.
The first tree planted in the arboretum on Oct. 10, 1981, was a burr oak that can be seen in the east side of the arboretum parking lot.
New and renewing members will also receive a free one-year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
?The plant sale supports the operation and mission of the arboretum, to teach people to appreciate, preserve and utilize native and adaptable plants,? Torseth said.
Any additional profits or donations from the sale will go to a fund that is being used to construct a facility to house the equipment and supplies needed to maintain the arboretum.
Currently the arboretum is using the former K-State Research Facility one mile to the west on a temporary basis, but will need to have other space by the fall of 2011.
For more information, call 620-327-8127.
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