Go Native at The Schuylkill Center's 2009 Plant Sale!
by Joanne Donohue
The Schuylkill Center's 5th Annual Native Plant Sale, featuring trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants indigenous to southeast Pennsylvania, takes place on Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th. Members of The Schuylkill Center are invited to a Preview Night of the Plant Sale on Friday, April 24th. New this year is a 2nd Native Plant Sale, taking place on May 9th in the parking lot of The Henry School on Green Street.
In these tough economic and environmental times, it becomes necessary to take stock of our lifestyles and see where we can cut corners, not to diminish, but to improve the way we live and interact within our ecosystem. This assessment can serve to improve our health, our relationships with family and neighbors of all kinds, our environment, and our wallets.
In the garden, we should all consider the wildlife who share this space with us, and what they need to cohabitate. All creatures need food, shelter, and a place to raise their young. This is no different from our own needs, if you think about it. Providing these simple elements of habitat in your garden helps to connect the patchwork of habitats in your neighborhood with larger pieces of green space in our region. A simple way to do this is to plant native species, which support local populations of insects, birds, and mammals. Planting an assortment of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers with a variety of bloom times is usually all you need to do, and in the end, you have a beautiful, four season garden to enjoy!
So where does your health come in? Gardening and the very act of being outdoors do wonders for your physical well-being, and the best part is there is no expensive fee to join or lines to wait in for the next available treadmill. Gardening can be a fun family activity as well. When a child is given ownership of a small patch in the garden to care for and nurture, he or she will grow up to love and care for the earth. And seeing the fruits (and flowers) of your labor certainly gives a sense of accomplishment to children of all ages, even the grown up ones!
We all know that whatever we put out in our gardens eventually makes its way downstream. This includes synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides. Are all these inputs really necessary? Growing a garden without harmful and often costly chemicals is simply a matter of observing your plants and responding to their needs. Cultivating a healthy soil with compost usually eliminates the need for quick acting fertilizers, and going without pesticides means reaching a point of tolerance for a few dandelions here and a few aphids there. When pests do get out of control, there is always something that you can do before you pull out that bottle of insecticide.
Come to our Native Plant Sale to find plants sustainably grown, with as little impact on the environment as we can manage. Each year, we try to improve the way we bring quality native plants to you. We hope you appreciate our efforts as much as we appreciate your support!
Our plants are grown with an organic fertilizer, instead of synthetic. Organic fertilizer requires less energy to manufacture. It also promotes a balanced soil environment for the plant and provides a steady source of nutrition that builds healthier soil. Healthier soil means healthier plants, which are better able to withstand pests, drought, and cold.
We reuse our pots. Over the past three seasons, you've helped us keep over 1500 pots in production. Once you get your plants home and find their place in your garden, why not return the pots they were grown in for use in our nursery? Doing so not only keeps non-biodegradable materials out of our landfills, but also saves the energy of manufacturing and shipping new pots every year. We accept 1 and 2 quart and 1 gallon pots.
We support local genetic diversity by responsibly harvesting seed from our own grounds. This helps preserve all the characteristics that make these plants adapted to our environment: the hot summers, cold winters, and everything in between.
Our plants are insecticide-free! We believe in growing healthy plants from the roots up, and we don't feel the need to spray at the first sign of insects. One walk through our nursery and you'll see why: ladybugs, praying mantises, birds, even a few American toads make regular rounds. This pest control is good enough for us!
Mark your calendars now for the Native Plant Sale at The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128. Don't forget to look for us at The Henry School across from Weaver's Way as well! Bring all of your gardening questions, and we'll do our best to give you sound advice on using native plants to maximize habitat and species diversity in your backyard.
Go to www.schuylkillcenter.org for more event details. Hope to see you at the Sale!
