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April 12, 1999
The UCSC Arboretum Spring Plant Sale and the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Sale will be held jointly on Saturday, April 17, at the Arboretum. The sale will be open to the general public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Native bulbs and exotic Australian plants that attract hummingbirds highlight this year's offerings by the two noted horticultural organizations. The annual event brings gardeners and nursery buyers from as far away as Sonoma and Santa Barbara.
A theme for this year is the use of brightly colored flowers to replace frost-killed landscapes. The winter-solstice freeze of December 1998 was perhaps the second worst frost in the last half century. Some garden plants may be resprouting and will look good soon, while others will take so long to recover that replacements may be more efficient. The plants available at the sale will be those that thrived despite cold temperatures.
The Arboretum specializes in plants not readily available in nurseries. Several of Sunset Magazine's "best of the new plants" are selections that were made or imported by the Arboretum staff. The Arboretum also provides opportunities to buy plants that may be on the "best of the new plants" lists several years from now.
Several local nuseries such as California Succulents, Monterey Bay Nursery, Sierra Azul, and Suncrest Nursery frequently donate additional plants to the sale. While at the plant sale, visitors may want to tour the Arboretum gardens and see the hummingbirds.
The sale will be held at the Arboretum Eucalyptus Grove, near the intersection of Western Drive and High Street. Arboretum and CNPS members only will be admitted from 10 to 11 a.m. You may join the Arboretum Associates on the day of the sale.
The Arboretum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Norrie's Gifts is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. The Jean and Bill Lane Horticultural Library is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
For more information, call the Arboretum at (831) 427-2998.