Plant sales at Reflection Riding, Crabtree Farms
Area gardeners can find a bumper crop of plants this weekend, as both Crabtree Farms and Reflection Riding host big seasonal sales.
“The two sales compliment one another by featuring different aspects of gardening — gardening with native plants and gardening to produce food,” says Sara McIntyre, executive director of Crabtree Farms, in a news release.
REFLECTION RIDING
The Fall Native Plant Sale at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center boasts more than 130 varieties of native flowers, trees and shrubs. Experts will be on hand to help gardeners select plants and offer guidance on how to integrate plants into the landscape.
John Evans, the new native plant specialist and greenhouse manager at Reflection Riding, especially recommends trees and shrubs for fall planting to escape summer’s searing heat.
“In the fall, most trees and shrubs have finished growing any new foliage for the year, and this lessens demand on their root system,” says the horticulturist. “Here in the Southeast, soil temperatures are still warm until late November and root growth continues. Additionally, cooler temperature and increased rainfall means that water stress is greatly reduced.”
Programs during the weekend will cover such topics as fall wildflowers, gardening in difficult conditions, native pollinators, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies and how to grow ferns. Specialty vendors will have products that focus on plants, landscaping, beekeeping and birds.
The event opens with a member presale and programs today, Sept. 8. The public portion of the sale is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9-10. CRABTREE FARMS
The Crabtree Farms Fall Plant Sale & Festival offers gardeners an opportunity to purchase vegetable, fruit, herb and flower starts for the fall planting season.
“Gardens are meant to be tended year-round,” McIntyre says.
When gardens are left barren in fall and winter, wind and rain can wash away nutrients, allowing microbes, the building blocks of soil, to disappear.
“Gardens tended throughout the year have higher levels of nutrients because the soil microbes are fed, watered and sheltered by winter-hearty plants,” she says.
And gardeners are rewarded with seasonal delights such as cabbage, lettuce, chard, beets, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, as well as such summer treats as tomatoes, melons and squash, which have a head start when planted in tended soil.
The sale is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, with a member’s preview on Friday, Sept. 9.
Workshops will run throughout the day, and local vendors specializing in mushrooms, herbs, hand-crafted garden decor, handmade beauty products, apples and fermented foods will share their wares and expertise. The Tin Cup Rattlers, Folk School of Chattanooga and Just Us Gals will add music to the proceedings.