Click photo to enlarge
College plant sale Friday, Saturday
For the Ukiah Daily Journal
Mendocino College’s horticultural students are offering winter gardeners the opportunity to purchase a wide range of vegetables, perennials, trees and native plants at their annual Fall Plant sale. The event will take place this Friday and Saturday and is one of two annual plant sales held at the college.
Kim Lyly, Agricultural Technician for the college says the students are ready to display their hard work. “We have over 250 varieties of plants available for sale,” says Lyly, adding that all plants are good performers for the region. Tender specimens which may need a little extra protection are noted on descriptive cards placed with each plant.
“We’ve expanded our vegetable offerings and have placed a poster asking our customers what other types of vegetables they would like to see at future sales,” says Lyly. New to the sale are white “Tama” Japanese radishes. “We are also offering Chinese Cabbage and Pak Choy. Heirloom and organic seeds are procured when available. There are a variety of lettuces, broccoli, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, cilantro, parsley and chard.
For those looking to put some late-season color into the garden, salvias are the way to go, says Lyly. “We have a large selection of salvias in many colors,” she notes. Butterfly bushes, gaillardias, penstemon and Princess Flowers are all blooming, and have the additional benefits of attracting hummingbirds, which sip the fall nectar to help build energy for the winter.
Incense Cedar, California Bays and Western Redbuds are beautiful native trees that are ready for planting. “The fall is the best time to plant natives, shrubs and trees,” says Lyly. The cool air combined with the warm ground allows plant roots to get a good start. “Then your plants really take off in spring,” she continues. Lyly emphasizes that mulching new planting will help to preserve water. “The only thing you should pay attention to is if we don’t have any rain for a few weeks, you’ll want to give new plantings some water,” she notes.
Other trees available include several varieties of fig, dogwood, prune, linden, hornbeam, oaks and the beautiful liquidambar. “We have dwarf peaches which will do very well in containers,” says Lyly. Culinary herbs, sedums, succulents, lavender, columbines and a large variety of native plants are available. Staff and students will be on hand to help with information and plant selection.
Shoppers can take some time to wander through the horticultural department gardens. Recent student plantings include a blue and white garden, a California native garden, a desertscape and a “follow the flow” garden that is punctuated by a meandering walkway through the landscaping. For the past year, students have been working on the native garden, installing a bridge and pond. Proceeds from the sale will help to fund improvements to the landscaping in the front of the horticulture department, developing a raspberry and blueberry and expanding upon the very successful kitchen garden which is being used by college culinary students. “We have over 50 tomato and pepper plants in the garden. Students are picking and utilizing the vegetables like crazy,” Lyly smiles.
The bargain prices make winter gardening very affordable. One-gallon plants are $5. Six-packs are priced at $2 and four-inch containers are $3. Five-gallon trees are $15. “We haven’t raised our prices in 15 years,” Lyly notes.
The sale runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The fall sale is slightly less crowded than the department’s spring sale, so Lyly encourages anyone who can’t make it on Friday to visit the college on Saturday.
“There will be a good selection available both days. People can bring their own wagons, but please put your name on them,” she notes. Cash and checks are accepted.
For information visit www.mendocino.edu/tc/pg/6153/plant_sale.html or phone 468-3148.
Speak Your Mind