It is with much excitement and warm thoughts of spring and growing things that we announce the launch of our Annual Tree Sale. Buy lovely and hardy plants for your yard, to give as a gift to someone else, or make a cash donation to parks throughout the Twin Cities region. As we come to grips with the devastating effects of emerald ash borer on our shared urban forest, our partners in our parks departments are grateful for any support they receive.
We are offering many new items that we’ve never carried before. We realize there is much variety in yard size in a metropolitan area, so are selling large items like Black Hills spruce and honeylocust (tiny leaves mean minimal fall raking, especially if you rake them into your flowerbeds as winter mulch) as well as trees for smaller spaces, like columnar birch and tree form ninebark.
Parks departments requested that we offer showy mountain ash, a lovely tree that professionals believe is planted less often than it should be in our area. Not a true ash, it is not susceptible to emerald ash borer. Its native to the North Shore of Lake Superior (now that’s hardy!), provides food for our bird friends, has white flowers, showy red fruit and gorgeous red fall foliage. Disease resistant.
Speaking of food, we also have Mount Royal plum (self-pollinating so you need just one) and for the first time, Red Lake currant. Our executive director has a mouth-watering currant tart recipe from relatives in Denmark that she is willing to share with anyone who purchases the currant. Pick up the recipe on May 6 when you pick up your lovely plants. The currant berries are beautiful, translucent red orbs when the sun shines on them. They stay on the bush a long time, so pick a tart’s worth at once and go out for more when its time to bake again. Eating local at its finest.
Now that we’ve appealed to your senses of sight and taste, let’s not forget the sense of smell. We have a gorgeous, fragrant, everblooming, hardy shrub rose, Music Box, and a sweet-smelling wisteria vine that should not be missed. The reblooming lilac is also fragrant and the Miniature Snowflake mockorange is a little powerhouse of big fragrance. Wow, all this thinking of fragrance just might help the next wintry mix seem a little less daunting. The Music Box rose would make a fantastic Mother’s Day gift, as it will be in bud and blooming when you pick it up.
The Golden Spirit smokebush (deer tolerant and gorgeous fall color that might just make you want to snip a few branches to bring into your home) and the Pink Diamond hydrangea round out our offerings. But, we’re not talking any old hydrangea here. This is a tree form variety, giving you options for visual “wow” factors. It blooms from summer into fall and the flowers are lovely left on the shrub or dry very nicely.
Order online at http://friendsoftheparks.org/annual-tree-sale
Order deadline is April 21. Plant pick-up is May 6, 9:00am to 1:00pm at one of two locations, either St. Paul or Maplewood. You choose your pick-up site when you place your order.
Happy thoughts of spring!
