Plant sale starts tomorrow
volunteer, potting up California native plants for Earth week. (Shirley Smith)
The Saddleback nursery’s 22nd annual spring plant sale is Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 11-12.
There are indoor and outdoor plants available. They have Vegetables, herbs, annuals and perennials, mostly in 4-inch pots. For sale this year are many hanging baskets, succulent bowls, one-gallon shrubs and a couple of trees. “We have good prices and very good quality plants. They come from seeds and cuttings.” Said Tina Maldini, greenhouse assistant, on staff for almost 8 years.
Yvonne Alliman, Lab Technician of the nursery said, ” I have been here 23 years. I started the plant sale the year after I came here. The greenhouse was down in the lower campus and probably a third of what it is now. I had over 10 years experience when I came here.” She asked the department Chair, Charles Harrison if she could start the plant sale, and he gave her the go ahead. “We started out real small and it just kept increasing. And the community has been coming every year. It’s really been successful. It goes for student scholarships and horticulture. We’ve given out thousands of dollars. The first sale, I think we sold about $1500 to now about $20,000 sales a year.”
Volunteers will be on hand and armed with a receipt pad to help visitors with selecting plants, purchasing the plants, and helping carry the purchases to the car, if necessary.
Porter Kerckhoff, 43, Psychology, said he would be volunteering Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. and be there for a couple of hours. When I spoke with him last Wednesday, he said, “We’re potting up some native California plants to sell at the Earth week event in mid April.”
Pamela Concar, English major; said, “I love gardening. That’s why I took this class [horticulture science] for a science requirement. I’ve learned so much. I thought I knew something about gardening, but I knew nothing about gardening till I came here. I want to volunteer because I love the school and my son is also a student here. I work full time, but I’m able to do this on the side to enrich my life.”
Sharon Twiggs, 58, Psychology, said, “I took this [class] as a requirement for a lab, but I’m having so much fun. I never dreamed it was going to be such a great class. I’ve learned so much. I am volunteering for the sale Thursday and Friday.”
Alliman stated, “Last year, either spring or fall, I don’t remember, we only had a one day sale because it rained the next day. But we did extremely well that first day, so it averaged out.”
Robert Farnsworth, Instructor, said, I’m real excited for a good turn out. We’ve got our best selection ever.”
Volunteering for the plant sale (Shirley Smith)
“I am volunteering Thursday and Friday.” (Shirley Smith)
Repotting native plants (Shirley Smith)
Preparing plants for this weeks sale. (Shirley Smith)
Indoor plants ready for sale (Shirley Smith)
Indoor plants for sale. (Shirley Smith)
Flats of color (Shirley Smith)
Color flats for sale (Shirley Smith)