April 24, 2024
The Importance of the Friends' Annual Plant Sale
Here's why it's important for you to shop at the Friends' Annual Plant Sale: It's our primary fundraiser and every single penny we make goes into programming, planting grants and education at the Arboretum. It allows us to remain active and help ensure that the Arboretum grounds look as good as possible.
This is not just another plant sale, we'll be offering a variety of natives as well as some hard to find plants. Please help us achieve our goals by shopping with us. Thank you!
PLANT SALE 2024
Welcome Spring and Shop at our Annual Plant Sale!
Click the links to read more on our web page.
Friday, May 3 - 4:00 PM
If you're a Member of the Friends, don't forget to register for the Members Only Plant Sale Preview on Friday, May 3 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. More information and registration here. Not a member? Join today and get first dibs on all the wonderful plants offered for sale at our Members Only Plant Sale Preview prior to the public sale.
Saturday, May 4 - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday, May 5 - 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM
The 2024 Plant Sale list is now available for your perusal on our Plant Sale Page. Click here to view the complete list.
Sambucus canadensis, American elderberry at the Plant Sale
American elderberry is a woody, deciduous shrub or small tree, 5 to 10 feet tall and 6 to10 feet wide; it tolerates a variety of soils but prefers rich, moist, slightly acidic soil in sun to partial shade. In summer, clusters of small, white, fragrant flowers appear, followed in late summer into fall by small, dark purple, edible drupes. The drupes can be used in pies and jellies and the flowers are used in winemaking.
The plants can have an unkempt appearance, so they're not appropriate for a manicured landscape, but work really well in naturalized areas such as woodlands, streams and pond edges. American elderberry is a great addition to butterfly, pollinator and native gardens.
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Want to get involved and learn more about the plants at this year's Plant Sale? Volunteer before, during or after the sale April 29 - May 7.
Visit our Plant Sale 2024 page or sign up to volunteer here: 2024 Plant Sale Volunteers.
Friday, May 17 - 10:00 AM
In person at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum
With warm weather comes a return to longer days and lots of garden activity, along with aching feet, hips and backs. Digging holes, weeding beds, dividing perennials, mulching and moving pots around can take its toll on bodies of any age!
Dr. David Mueller (Podiatry) and Dr. Andrew Marques (Physical Therapy) will be on hand Friday, May 17th to talk about how to remain injury free and vigorous in the garden. They will discuss how to strengthen the lower parts of your musculoskeletal system as well as some of the most common problems that they see in gardeners. Space is limited so grab a spot while you can.
For more information and to register, click on the photo.
Thanks to Katherine Boyle for the photograph of a Ladybug approaching a group of aphids; Ladybugs are wonderful, natural pest controllers. The aphids suck all the juices out of plants, damaging and killing them; the ladybug, however, eats the aphids (as many as 50 a day) and does no damage at all to the plant. They're great to have in your garden!
Thanks also to Judy Snow for the pictures of a container collection (Pansies, Geum and maybe a dark leaf lettuce?) next to the sundial in the Rose Garden, a lovely lavender Pulsatilla halleri ssp.styriaca and a gorgeous Cercis chinensis cv. Don Egolf in full bloom.
Click an image to see them all in our website's picture gallery.
Several of our previously recorded events are available to watch on-line.
When shopping at our fine Retail Partners, please remember to present your Membership card at the beginning of your check out transaction. Our Retail Partners need to enter the discount at the beginning of that process.
If you have not yet used this wonderful Member Benefit, you can view our full list of Retail Partners by clicking here.
You can register and pay on line on our Events page and Membership page and subscribe to this newsletter here: complete directions for subscribing.
