May 29 Column: Friends of Manito Spring Plant sale
I love this time of year! Our gardens are coming back to life and plant sales are back on our calendars. On Saturday (June 4), The Friends of Manito spring plant sale will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you live in the Inland Northwest, you will NOT want to miss this sale because it always awesome!
The sale is the subject of my garden column, which you can read in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: The Friends of Manito plant sale. You can also read it underneath my video below. The plant sale will features perennials, shrubs, edible shrubs, groundcovers, succulents, tropical houseplants and garden decor. Best of all, you can check out the plant list ahead of time by going to The Friends of Manito plant sale page. That way, you can work on your shopping strategies!
For this week’s video, I decided to share my front flower garden and pollinator garden with you. I’ve been getting some requests from folks for this so that’s how it came about. As I explained in the video, we’ve had a VERY cold spring so most of the plants are getting off to a very slow start. But I promise to do follow-ups throughout the season!
By the way, after I shot this video, I learned that the name of the beautiful iris seen below is ‘Cherry Garden’.
Here is my garden column:
by Susan Mulvihill
We gardeners sure love a good plant sale. Next Saturday (June 4), The Friends of Manito spring plant sale will feature plenty of great additions for our gardens. There will be perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, edible plants, houseplants and succulents.
I recently wrote about methods for conserving water in our landscapes, including the use of more drought-tolerant plants. There are so many fabulous plants within this category that will be available at this sale. Most will grow in full sun.
Achillea (yarrow) ‘Sassy Summer Sangria ‘_ Their lacy, silvery-green foliage provides a lovely contrast to the deep-red flower heads. Growing up to 3 feet tall, they are hardy down to zone 3, attract pollinators and are deer-resistant.
Baptisia (false indigo) _ I’ve grown this intriguing plant for years and it is tough yet beautiful with its colorful flower spikes. You’ll find an impressive array of varieties at the sale, including ‘American Goldfinch’, ‘Blueberry Sundae’, ‘Cherries Jubilee’ and ‘Honey Roasted’. All are about 36 inches tall, hardy to zone 4, they tolerate part shade, attract pollinators and are deer-resistant.
Echinacea (coneflower) _ In addition to having low water needs, these popular perennials are prized for their bright flowers and attractive leaves. Look for ‘Coral Craze’, ‘PowWow Wild Berry’, ‘Purple Emperor’ and ‘Sangrita’. They grow about 36 inches tall, are hardy to zone 4, very popular with the bees, will tolerate part shade and are deer-resistant.
Sedum (stonecrop) _ ‘Blue Spruce’, ‘Fuldaglut’, ‘John Creech’ and ‘Lidankense’ are all groundcovers with evergreen leaves and showy blossoms. They range from 3 to 9 inches tall and are very hardy.
If you’re looking for ornamental grasses, here are three great options:
Bouteloua (Grama grass) _ ‘Gracilis’ and ‘Blonde Ambition’, which are hardy to zones 3 and 4 respectively, feature golden flowers that are held horizontally above the leaves. ‘Gracilis’ will grow about 12 inches tall while ‘Blonde Ambition’ can reach 3 feet in height.
Miscanthus sinensis (zebra grass) _ ‘Little Zebra’ is a dwarf variety that grows about 4 feet tall, has eye-catching green leaves with golden bands and provides winter interest in the garden. It is hardy to zone 5 and tolerates part shade.
Panicum virgatum (switch grass) _ ‘Ruby Ribbons’ will provide a lovely accent in your garden when the leaves change to burgundy from late summer into fall. Growing 3 to 4 feet in height, it is hardy to zone 4, has attractive seed heads and will tolerate part shade.
“I would estimate that over 70 percent of our plants could be considered drought tolerant,” plant sale co-coordinator Gabi Tilley said. “Shoppers can view the list of available plants on our website.”
She is looking forward to seeing all of the people who began gardening during the pandemic and are continuing with their new-found passion.
“This has been such a challenging spring,” she added. “I would really like to thank all of the volunteers for diligently coming to care for the plants through rain, snow, sleet and hail.”
Members of the Friends of Manito will receive a 10 percent discount on their plant purchases. All proceeds from the sale will benefit Manito Park.
Susan Mulvihill is author of “The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook.” She can be reached at Susan@SusansintheGarden.com. Watch this week’s video at youtube.com/susansinthegarden.
IF YOU GO:
The Friends of Manito Spring Plant Sale
When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 4
Where: In the plant sale yard just east of Manito Park’s Gaiser Conservatory, 4 W. 21st Ave.