Area Artisans Add Diversity to Arboretum Signature Plant Sale Weekend

SCHOHARIE COUNTY, NY (03/16/2008)(readMedia)-- The 36th annual Landis Arboretum Spring Plant/Book/Bake Sale Fundraiser will take place on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, from 10 AM – 4 PM. Once again, the festive fundraising weekend will include a select group of regional artisans on Sunday, May 18. Plant Sale weekend will take place rain or shine, and all proceeds from the event will benefit maintenance and improvements at Landis, the Capital Region’s arboretum. There is no admission and parking is free.

Artisans’ Contribute Festive Flair! Always responsive to members and visitors comments, the Arboretum will showcase the quality offerings of select area craft-specialists whose work will be for sale at Artisans’ Sunday, May 20, 10 AM – 4 PM in concert with the Plant Sale. Artisans interested in registering to participating in this event are invited to contact the Arboretum at 518-875-6935 by May 1.

Greenhouse Open The William T. Raymond Greenhouse at the Arboretum will once again play an important role in this year’s offerings. Last year, the greenhouse at Landis offered a profusion of lilies for Plant Sale patrons.

Pots Join PoPs By longstanding tradition, the Friday before the Plant Sale opens to the general public is designated as Pick of the Pots (PoPs), a members-only plant preview/sale. The light fare will be provided by Sweet Tooth Caterers (Esperance).

Ms. Cherie and the Hot Pots will return to the PoPs event by popular request. The 13-member senior ensemble has been together for more than three years, says Ms. Cherie Stevens. “We got together for the primary purpose of entertaining at hospitals and perform often at nursing and adult homes in Schoharie County and have appeared in Albany, Guilderland and Troy facilities". The Hot Pots, who favor the sounds of the 40s, 50s, and 60s vow to add some senior sizzle to the PoPs!

“The PoPs event is a privilege of membership,” says executive director Thom O’Connor. “The preview event is our token thank you to all who support the Landis Arboretum through membership. And, although all members are invited to participate in PoPs for the $15 admission, we are forced to limit the number of meals to the first 150 people who register.”

Non-member friends, associates, and relatives who wish to attend the PoPs event can reserve and pay for membership before May 10. Admission for attendees who sign-up as members prior to the event is $60, which includes the PoPs Party and discounted one-year membership.

“There is always a cheerful and determined core of plant lovers lined up at the gate when it opens at 4 p.m.,” says Landis executive director Thom O’Connor. “They want to be among the first to choose from among thousands of plants assembled for the Arboretum’s signature Spring Plant Sale – and enjoy the twilight buffet that is limited to the first 150 people. We require reservations by May 10. Admission this year has been reduced to $15 to offset rising travel costs for our patrons.” For more information about the Spring Plant Sale or individual and corporate memberships, please call 518- 875-6935.

Bookies in Paradise The natural splendors of the 548-acre Landis Arboretum is bound to be the destination of choice for book buyers, sellers, and collectors for the Used Book Sale scheduled in concert with the Arboretum’s Plant Sale. Bibliophiles are always well-rewarded with thousands of titles in good condition to browse through and buy, while surrounded by the more than 6,000 trees, plants, shrubs, and perennials at the event. Regardless of the weather, the Annual Plant and Book Sale will take place; the books are under cover in the Arboretum’s 1830s English barn.

The annual Book Sale is made possible through the generosity of the Arboretum’s many friends and supporters who collect books throughout the year with the sale in mind. Dozens of volunteers clean and categorize the offerings. Categories include, but are not limited to, science and nature, gardening, reference, poetry, child, mystery, self-help, diet and nutrition. Donations of books in good condition are always welcomed. Please contact the Arboretum with information about book donations by May 10.

“Our Spring Plant Sale is our signature event and largest fundraiser,” says Barbara Brabetz, President of the organization’s Board of Trustees and Chair of the Natural Science Department at SUNY Cobleskill. “This event provides an opportunity for residents and businesses to acquire beautiful and unusual plants, shrubs, and trees – while at the same time help to support the existence of the Arboretum as an evolving and nationally recognized center of scientific excellence. It also gives the Arboretum’s Board an opportunity to spend quality time in an informal setting with our members and volunteers, who are critical to continued operations at Landis.”

Visitors can see for themselves – and greet friends and neighbors as well – at the 36th Annual Landis Arboretum Spring Plant/Book/Bake/Artisans' Sunday Sale fundraiser.

About the Arboretum The Landis Arboretum is a 548-acre public garden that includes eight miles of hiking and walking trails overlooking picturesque Schoharie Valley near Esperance, NY. Forty acres are developed with plantings trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials from around the world. The remainder of the property consists of natural areas, woodlands, and open fields reminiscent of the former farm of founder Fred Lape. The Arboretum may be one of the best kept secrets of the Capital Region and along scenic Route 20 corridor between Albany and Skaneateles. The Arboretum is central to the New York State Wine and Spa Trails and in close proximity to historic Sharon Springs. And, it is a natural stop for those traveling to the high-volume tourist attractions between the Albany, Cooperstown, and Finger Lakes Regions.

The Landis Arboretum includes a nationally recognized collection of oaks and is registered with the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC). The Arboretum also is included in the New York State Route 20 Bluebird Trail, bringing even more birdwatchers to the site. The Arboretum’s vast dark sky and wide horizons attract area astronomers to its meeting house and parking field for sky-watching events.

Old Growth Forest The Arboretum's most recent land acquisition, for example, almost doubled the size of the site and contains a horticulture bonanza. Last summer, a team of old-growth-forest experts surveyed the site and found species of trees ranging from 150 to 350 years old. One parcel of land near the Montgomery County line contains one of the oldest forests in the area.

This ancient forest is approximately 30 acres in size and is located in the northeast corner of the Arboretum. “This is a forest that has been untouched since the Revolutionary War,” said Bruce Kershner, an ancient forest authority and author of The Sierra Club Guide to Ancient Forests of the Northeast. The Landis Arboretum is now one of only three arboreta in eastern North America that have old growth forests. The other two are the New York Botanical Garden and Rutgers University – neither of which can compare to Landis’ natural collection and pre-revolutionary flora.

Educational Initiatives The Arboretum offers classes, workshops, guided and self-guided nature study, and is working toward providing meeting space in its bucolic setting for special events, lectures, and demonstrations. Workshop subjects include hawks, moths, birds, amphibians and reptiles, and arthropods. Horticultural interests are the focus of classes in pruning, tree identification, daylilies, and plant propagation. Ancillary workshops have focused on photography, basket making, botanical illustration and landscape painting.

Easy Access The Landis Arboretum is located 1.5 miles off Scenic US Route 20 in Esperance, NY. Exit #23 off I-88 and follow Route 30A (turn right on Route 20) or Route 30 (turn left on Route 20) toward Esperance.

From Esperance Turn at the Town Hall onto Charleston Street which turns into Conover Road. There is a green sign for Landis on route 20 by this road. Follow for 1 ¼ miles. The road bears right 90 degrees at one point. Turn right onto Lape Road. There is a sign for Landis and a dead end sign. The main parking lot is ¼ mile down on your left. Across the street from this parking lot are our offices, located in the farmhouse, Nearby is the barn and our library and greenhouse. Farther up Lape Road you will see a small sign for the Meeting House on the right. You may pull into this driveway and park by the Meeting House. Our collections are accessible from either parking area.

Posted Sunday March 16, 2008 at 08:03 pm by Landis Arboretum