Area Artisans Expand Format of Landis Arboretum Signature Spring Plant Sale

ESPERANCE, NY (05/07/2007) (readMedia)-- The 35th annual Landis Arboretum Spring Plant/Book/Bake Sale will take place on Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20, from 10 AM – 4 PM. This year, the signature fundraising weekend will include a select group of regional artisans on Sunday, May 20. 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.

First-time Sunday Artisans’ Sale

Always responsive to members and visitors comments, the Arboretum will showcase the quality offerings of 17 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.

Among those expected to participate in Artisan’s Sunday are:

Andrea Schleider, Passing Fancy; Amy Howansky, Mother Earth Mementos (nature- related jewelry); Barbara Weloth’s Homegrown Designs and Garden Accessories; Betty Pillsbury, The Green Spiral; Betsy Mathias, BJ’s Personalized Garden Bricks; Jan Hornbach Watercolors; In the Gardens (fresh-roasted, gourmet coffees); Judy Helfrich, Jeweler; Kathy Cornell, Papier Moon Primitives; Kate Hahn, Hahn Studio; Kathy Catlin of Kings Creek Pottery ; Kirsten Sanchirico, Kirsten's Beeswax Candles; Mary Ann Schuler, Fish Rubbings and Photography; Sharon Pasquini, Thistle Hill Soap; Scott Zampier, Earthy Originals™; Wendy Kass, BINDI? Jewelers; 4-H club, Quaker Street Critters; and St. Leo's Enterprises (earthworm castings).

Artisans – and solo or small-group musicians interested in registering and participating in this inaugural event are invited to contact the Arboretum at 518-875-6935 by May 10.

Greenhouse Open

Under the unifying theme which partners people and plants in ensuring the sustainability of the planet, this year’s offerings will reflect uncommon diversity with an eclectic offering of trees, plants, and shrubs.

“Our goal is to offer something for every gardener’s taste and landscape,” says Landis Trustee Jeff Schworm who worked in tandem with Board member Scott Trees as Plant Sale procurement specialist s for the May event. “Rhododendrons, azaleas, great evergreens, shade and ornamental trees, native plants, along with a better-than-ever perennial offerings and the usually unusual selection of flowering shrubs . . . . Add all to of this variety several improved hardy rose selections, a few bright and interesting annuals, heaths and heathers, contributions from members’ gardens, along with an expanded bargain area, and you get a Spring Plant Sale to write home about!”

According to Mr. Schworm, the William T. Raymond Greenhouse at the Arboretum will play an important role in this year’s offerings. "We have a great collection of garden lilies growing in the greenhouse right now and the opportunity to pluck them direct from the benches should add to the thrill," he says.

PoPs Meet Pots

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 and twilight supper. The light buffet supper, a specialty offering of Sweet Tooth Caterers (Esperance), will be available to the first 120 members at the PoPs event place on Friday, May 18, 5 – 8 PM. Preview Party admission is $20 and exclusively for Arboretum members in good standing.

This year’s PoPs event features the humor and melodious sounds of Ms. Cherie and the Hot Pots. 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 $20 admission, we are forced to limit the number of meals to the first 120 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 $50, 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 5 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 120 people. We require reservations by May 10.

For more information about the Spring Plant Sale or individual and corporate memberships, please call 518- 875-6935.

Meet the Victorians

Members of the Victorian Social Club and Victorian Cultural League also are expected to be on site for a picnic and stroll at the event. The Victorian Social Club started in 1995, when five like-minded people gathered at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs to enjoy a picnic. Dressed in Victorian garb, with picnic baskets filled with sweets and savories, starched white linens, fancy silver and delicate china, their founding members traveled back to the 19th Century. Since that day their numbers have grown, but their goal is still to learn about Victorian life and culture by recreating Victorian events. Toward this end, they encourage members to don authentic or period style dress to all their events.

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 – both hard and soft cover – that range from 25-cents to as low as $2 for hardcover editions. 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.

Migrating Geese and Cobblestones

Each year the Arboretum offers a quilt sponsored and created by member-volunteers. This year’s offering is titled Migrating Geese and Cobblestones. The beautiful 64 x 85 hand-sewn, cotton quilt with batting will be unveiled at the Plant Sale. Volunteer Toine Wyckoff (Niskayuna) assembled the pieces that comprise the comely quilt and well-known Voorheesville craftsman Lew “Quiltsmith” Schedlbauer combined and stitched the pattern to backing.

“This is more than a mere wall hanging,” says Toine. “Because of its size, the more utilitarian among us might just as easily use it for as a bed cover; and its colors – ranging from woody greens to florals include golds, greens, yellow, red and blue -- and animals in fine detail – expand its possibilities for any home’s style.”

“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 35th Annual Landis Arboretum Spring Plant/Book/Bake/Artisans/Quilt Sale!

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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.

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Posted Monday May 07, 2007 at 09:36 am by Landis Arboretum