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Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is among the flowering trees for sale at Adkins Arboretum during its Native Plant Nursery Opening Weekend, April 12–13, and throughout the growing season.
Adkins Arboretum’s Native Plant Nursery, offering the Chesapeake gardener the largest selection of ornamental native plants for more than 20 years, will celebrate its 2014 Opening Weekend Sat. April 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun., April 13 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center in Ridgely. The sale benefits the Arboretum’s education programs and affords the public an opportunity to learn about the region’s native plants and their connection to a healthy Chesapeake Bay. Following the sale weekend, the Nursery will be open to the public during the growing season, Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Mondays and weekends by appointment.
Plants for sale will include a broad selection of perennials, ferns, vines, grasses, and flowering shrubs and trees for spring planting. Native flowers and trees provide food and habitat for wildlife and make colorful additions to home landscapes, whether in a perennial border, a woodland garden or a restoration project. Tall spikes of purple-blue flowers grace blue wild indigo, while native honeysuckle entices hummingbirds. Cardinal flower, ferns and Joe-pye attract frogs, butterflies and dragonflies, and native azaleas present a veritable rainbow of bloom colors. ‘Creel’s Quintet’ sumac, a new shrub offered this spring, boasts a compact form and purple fall color, making it the perfect sumac for smaller gardens.
The Arboretum is a participating nursery in the Marylanders Plant Trees native tree discount program. For any native tree valued at $50 or more, shoppers will receive a $25 discount. Some of the special larger trees available for this discount include redbud, ‘Appalachian Spring’ dogwood—the cultivar most resistant to dogwood blight—oak, birch, sweetbay magnolia, and American beech, the Arboretum’s 2014 Native Tree of the Year.
The Arboretum gift shop, Sweet Bay Gifts, will be open and will offer books and nature-inspired gifts for gardeners. Members receive a 10% discount on plants, gift shop items and new books. Members at the Contributor level ($100) and above receive a 20% discount on plant purchases.
A sale day for members will be held Fri., April 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All members are welcome, and new memberships will be accepted that day.
Donations of garden books, field guides and gardening/landscaping magazines for the used book sale are greatly appreciated. The sale helps support the Arboretum’s library. Books may be left at the Visitor’s Center between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call 410-634-2847, extension 0 or visit adkinsarboretum.org.
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