Local sales offer unusual and rare plants
It’s not just other living things — flowers, birds, insects — that spring calls forth each year. We, too, are called outof-doors on the warm days, eager for bright sunlight, gentle breezes, and the sweet aroma of rain-drenched earth. But in case you need more enticing, here are a few upcoming events to get you outside and into the garden. PHS Meadowbrook Farm Open
House: Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Meadowbrook Farm is the historic home of renowned florist J. Liddon Pennock, Jr. The stone house and display gardens will be open for self-guided tours until 4 p.m. on May 6.
At the nursery you’ll be able to shop for plants for your own garden, selecting from colorful annuals, spring-blooming perennials, succulents and cacti, container plants for patios and decks, vegetable plants, and herbs. Meadowbrook staff will be on hand to help you make your decisions according to your particular landscape/ outdoor needs.
Among the plants for sale will be PHS Gold Medal plants. These are exceptional trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials, selected by their outstanding performance for the home gardener. The plants are “easy to grow, pest-resistant, and add beauty to the landscape for many seasons.”
Also on tap will be a seedplanting activity for children. And the Farm’s Senior Director, Jenny Rose Carey, will be on hand to answer questions about shade gardening, and sign copies of her new book, “Glorious Shade.”
PHS members receive a 10 percent discount; you can join that day. PHS Meadowbrook Farm is located at 1633 Washington Lane, Jenkintown, PA 19046. For more information, call (215) 887-5900, or visit www.meadowbrookfarm.org. Morris Arboretum Annual Plant
Sale: Friday, May 12, MembersOnly Day (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and open to the public Saturday, May 13 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Morris Arboretum’s annual plant sale features unusual and hard-to-find plants. Many are from local nurseries familiar with local soils and climate, and wellsuited to thrive in the Philadelphia area.
Among annuals, a new twist this year is the addition of tropical foliage plants. Check out Pseuderanthemum ‘Stainless Steel.’ Dubbed “the little black dress of horticulture,” this plant apparently goes with anything! You’ll also find culinary herbs, great for pollinators as well as for your summer cuisine.
Among the offerings of perennials will be several native plants that are attractive to butterflies, including Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) and Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea). There will also be trees and shrubs, with
something to fit any gardening need — sun/shade, dry/moist soil. Two arboretum staff favorites are the Dwarf Globose Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica ‘Globosa Nana’) and the edible Joel Bush Cherry (Prunus japonica x Prunus jacquemontii ‘Joel’).
The Delaware Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society will offer 80 different rockgarden plants. The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society will offer a number of rhododendrons, all hardy in the Delaware Valley, and many of which are not available elsewhere. Also available will be roses and clematis.
Morris Arboretum members receive a 10 percent discount on purchases. If you join now, you can get first picks on May 12. The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is located at 100 East Northwestern Avenue, in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. The sale will be held at the Horticulture Center at Bloomfield Farm, across the street from the Arboretum’s public garden. If you can, plan to spend a little time exploring
the 92-acre display gardens. For more information, visit www.morrisarboretum.org.
Annual Mothers Day Tea at Welkinweir: Sunday, May 14, 2 to 4 p.m.
Another way to enjoy Mothers Days is at the annual Mothers Day Tea in the beautiful azalea garden at Welkinweir, home to the Green Valleys Association. While you’re there, browse the grounds and gardens, and enjoy an organ concert on the historic Skinner pipe organ. $25 per adult; 12-17 years old $12; 6-12 years old $7; under 6 and over 80, free. Welkinweir is located at 1368 Prizer Road, Pottstown, PA. For information, visit www.greenvalleys.org/event/mothersday-at-welkinweir/ or call (610) 469-4900.