Artisans Add Diversity to Arboretum Signature Plant Sale Weekend

SCHOHARIE REGION (04/28/2009)(readMedia)-- Artist Marilyn Desmond, proprietor of Just Smashing (Albany, NY), was the first vendor to sign up for Artisans' Way at the 37th annual Landis Arboretum Spring Plant/Book/Bake Sale Fundraiser on Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17, from 10 AM - 4 PM.

Once again, the festive fundraising weekend invites regional artisans and crafters to participate in the annual Spring event and to share and sell their wares to plant sale customers. Plant Sale weekend will take place rain or shine, and all proceeds from the event will benefit the not-for-profit Landis, the Capital Region's arboretum. There is no admission and parking is free.

"Last year was quite exciting," says Ms. Desmond, who specializes in mosaic décor for home and garden. "People who attend the plant fundraiser at the Arboretum are very enthusiastic - and friendly. They turned out to be a ready-made audience for my work. I was delighted to be part of the event this year, especially after I heard that the Arboretum will expand its Artisans' Way for both days of the fundraiser."

Artisans interested in participating in this event are invited to contact the Arboretum at 518-875-6935 by May 5. Details are available on the Arboretum website (www.landisarboretum.org); choose Artisans Forms Available.

Wild Life, Too!

Along with rare and unusual plants, an impressive collection of used books, and home baked goods at the Bluebird Café, Plant Sale participants also will get to see Susan and Jeff O'Handley of the Wildlife Learning Company (http://www.wildlearn.com/) who will be sure to fascinate all and entertain younger participants with Natural-born Critters from 1 - 5 pm on Saturday. May 16.

Abundance, Beauty, Cordiality Await

This year's highlights include a diverse selection of shade and ornamental trees and flowering shrubs.

Among them are resistant American elm cultivars, special fruit trees, specimen conifers - including the 'Cobra' spruce, and numerous flowering shrubs -- all of which are hardy in this area. -

In addition to the large number of perennials normally available, the sale will feature an incredible selection of Echinacea, Japanese iris, and peonies. An assortment of climbing plants, unique annuals, heritage vegetables, and raspberries will round out the ever-growing list of plants available at the sale.

The annual Spring and Fall plant sales are an important source of income for the Arboretum. They offer an opportunity to acquire beautiful and unusual plants of many types -- while enticing participants to support the Arboretum as a dynamic outdoor classroom for its educational work.For the convenience of customers, the Arboretum provides ample parking, wheelchair accessible bathrooms, and a snack bar with hot and cold selections, hot tea and coffee, cold drinks and water, and, of course, some of the best, baked goods offered anywhere.

The Arboretum accepts donations of healthy plants that are potted and sale ready. Donors should label the plants with the common name. The Arboretum will price appropriately.The Friday night Members-only Pick of the Pots PREVIEW PARTY is a great opportunity to shop for plants. Those not already a member of the Capital Region's Arboretum, can enroll at the door. Not only will this ensure the first pick of plants, but also an array of appetizers, great wine to drink, and live music to entertain while Members choose plants -- all without any lines. As usual, we have assembled the most knowledgeable staff around to answer all your plant questions. We can provide recommendations for any site condition or landscape.

Wild Mountain at PoPs

By longstanding tradition, the Friday before the Plant Sale opens to the public is designated as Pick of the Pots (PoPs), a members-only plant preview/sale. This year's Pick of the Pots members-only preview party takes place on Friday, May 15, at 5 pm.

By request, popular Schoharie County ensemble Wild Mountain (Jane Rogers and Gael Joyel (Summit, NY) and Barbara Nark (Warnerville, NY) will return to this year's PoPs event.

The light evening fare of festive finger foods will be provided by Dottie Gallo's Sweet Tooth Caterers (Esperance).

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. Although all members are invited to participate in PoPs for the $20 admission, the Arboretum must limit the number 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.

Bookies Enter 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 8.

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 along Artisans' Way, Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, 17 May 18, 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 8.

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.

Arboretum PLANT SALE: a Primer

• At Your Service Volunteers from Arboretum-sponsored Boy Scout Troop 501 will be available to help those needing assistance in getting purchases to their vehicles.
• The William T. Raymond Greenhouse at the Arboretum will play an important role in this year's offerings. Follow signs for pleasant surprises.
• The Acorn Gift Shop will be open. Some popular items include polo and sweatshirts with our logo, high-quality pruning tools, animal puppets, nature games, and books. This year, the Arboretum will feature spectacular photographs by Arboretum member and award-winning nature photographer Bill Combs. Jr.
• Lunch. Food and beverages will be for sale on Saturday and Sunday at the Bluebird Cafe• Starting times and dates for the sale are firm. Purchases may not be made prior to the sale.
• Arboretum plant experts will be available all weekend to answer your questions and to provide suggestions and advice on plant selection, site requirements, and proper planting and care techniques. The Arboretum cannot set aside plants prior to the sale.
• Visitors must park in the upper parking area next to the Meeting House.
• Limited handicapped parking and drop-off space is available. Please inform the parking attendants of your needs.
• Dogs are not permitted at the Plant Sale. (Dogs should never be left in cars because temperatures rise quickly inside vehicles.)
• Restrooms and picnic tables are available for your convenience.
• Please have your sales slip available to be hole-punched as you leave. Have your membership card handy for quicker checkout. (10% discount for members.)
• All purchases must be removed by 4 pm, Sunday. Landis does not make deliveries and is not responsible for items left after 4 pm.

About the Arboretum

The Landis Arboretum is a 548-acre public garden that straddles both Montgomery and Schoharie Counties. Landis 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. Once 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 meetinghouse and parking field for sky-watching events.

Oaks

The Arboretum is a nationally recognized collector of the genus Quercus, oaks of the northeastern United States, and has registered this collection with the American Public Garden Association's (APGA's) North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC) The Arboretum collection is unique in that many of its oaks were started from wild seedlings collected by Fred Lape. These slow growing specimens are now approaching a youthful maturity of fifty years.The Arboretum's Great Oak is conservatively estimated to be 500 years old. This white oak, Quercus alba, bears the marks of severe climate and northwest exposure. It is the Arboretum's signature tree.

Buckleya distichophylla

Buckleya distichophylla is an endangered species that grows naturally as an understory shrub in only one region in the United States, in the Southern Appalachians. Seven original seedlings from the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina, planted at Landis in 1952 have been surprisingly successful and have established the Arboretum as an unexpectedly strong outpost of this plant. Its numbers have increased to over 55 plants. Buckleya is a hemi parasite; it has green leaves for photosynthesis and relies on the host plant roots for water and mineral nutrients.

Landis' Outstanding Specimens and Notable Trees and Shrubs

The Arboretum has a significant number of specimen trees and outstanding shrubs. A listing of thirty of these trees can be found in the "Notable Trees" brochure. Outstanding shrubs can be found throughout the Arboretum. Forty-one species of trees and shrubs growing at Landis are outside their hardiness zones. These species are not usually expected to survive in USDA Zone 5 and yet, they survive due to the many microclimates at the Arboretum and conditions specific to each site.

Perennial Gardens

In addition to woody collections, Landis provides outstanding collections of flowering perennials for visitors to enjoy from April through October. The Van Loveland and Quarry gardens include bulbs, perennials, shrubs and dwarf conifers.

Native Plants and Natural Areas

The natural areas of the Arboretum provide a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and study native plants and ecosystems, open field evolution, effect of undesired invasive species, endangered plants, and forest communities of the region. These areas are vital to the Arboretum as a study area for ecosystems of the Northeast. The various stages of succession and various ecosystems that exist on the property are significant in that a wide range of environments can be studied or researched at one site. Trails wind through mature and near mature forests and wildflower fields.

Old Growth Forest Beckons

Landis Arboretum is one of three arboreta in eastern North America that have old growth forests. The other two are the New York Botanical Garden and Rutgers University. Among its two Old Growth Forests stand a widely diverse range of species that comprise the old growth forests. The dominant trees are white and red oaks, American beech, sugar maple, hemlock, yellow birch, and black birch.

The old growth forests are accessible to visitors by walking the Great Oak/Woodland Trail, starting in the corner of the field behind the Arboretum's greenhouse to the Great Oak. The route, approximately three miles round trip from the parking lot to the larger Old Growth Forest area and back, is clearly marked for visitors to the Arboretum.

Many native plants are labeled along the woodland trail. The Arboretum is developing a comprehensive native flora interpretive signage program that will greatly add to the enjoyment and understanding of these areas. The extensive natural areas at Landis is also makes it an outstanding location for wildlife viewing. This property is considered excellent for bird watching. Free bird walks are offered annually.

The Native Plant Collection

Along the half mile Willow Plant trail we have created a collection of woody plants, all native to New York state. The plants are grouped by families so that related species can be easily compared. Some plants with specialized needs are also planted in their favorite environment. We have a dry open location, an under-story location and a place set aside for wetland plants. Altogether we have most of NYS's native woody plants.

Native Plants Collection curator Ed Miller has also created a bog garden with most of plants of a northern peat bog. This garden is located at the beginning of the woodland trail and includes both woody and herbaceous plants nestled in a bed of sphagnum moss floating on a raft.

PlantCollections: Local Action, Global Gain ( http://plantcollections.pathf.com/)

The Landis Arboretum is among the select public gardens nationwide chosen to participate in the initial development of a database system for people looking for information about plant collections online.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, in collaboration with APGA, the University of Kansas, and 15 public gardens nationwide, developed PlantCollections, an international partnership of botanic gardens, arboreta, universities, governmental funding agencies and commercial database software developers. This 3-year project will strengthen relationships among the participating institutions and foster the sharing of information with the public.

This database system for web-based querying provides public access to information stored within plant record databases, thereby improving our understanding of plants and the natural world. For example, Landis has supplied DNA of our oaks to a research project and Buckleya queries from several gardens and from a perfume company (Buckleya is the only sandalwood species in North America.)

PlantCollections - A Community Solution. An Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership grant in the Building Digital Resources Division. A collaboration between Chicago Botanic Garden (project director) and the North American Plant Collections Consortium of American Public Gardens Association, University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center and Natural History Museum, Imbrogliare, LLC, Morphbank at Florida State University School of Computational Sciences, BG-BASE, Inc., BG-BASE LTD (UK), Beijing Botanical Garden, The National Trust (UK) and 15 botanic gardens and arboreta.

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. A yearlong Calendar of Events is available at www.landisarboretum.org. 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 EsperanceTurn 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. Follow signs for Landis.

For more information about Landis:

• The George Landis ArboretumThe Landis Arboretum may well be the northern Catskill Region's best-kept secret. With centuries of history and the riveting beauty inherent in the Arboretum's world-class, global collections, generations of extraordinary plantings continue to impart their secrets to its visitors. http://www.catskillregionguide.com/articles/article.php?id=995

• Spectacular Beauty? Sustainable Fun? A Schoharie County Weekend! By "Schoharie Buzz"

• Arboretum Holiday Dinner-Auction, Triple Teaming for Thrice the Fun!by Thom O'Connor

• Landis Arboretum Featured on http://www.didyouweekend.com/weekend/See where Mother Nature hits her high notes!

Contact:Thom O'Connor L A N D I S, The Capital Region's Arboretum PO Box 186, 174 Lape Rd., Esperance, NY 12066director@landisarboretum.org; 518.875.6935; http://twitter.com/Landisdirectorhttp://twitter.com/SchoharieBuzz; http://landisarboretum.wordpress.com/

The grounds are open daily from dawn until dusk.Dogs are welcomed - except at the Plants Sales - as long as they are leashed.The office continues to operate on a reduced schedule until May.

More? Call the Arboretum at 518-875-6935.info@landisarboretum.org; http://twitter.com/Landisdirector; www.landisarboretum.org

Posted Tuesday April 28, 2009 at 08:53 am by Landis Arboretum