shh.... quiet subversion at the local plant sale.

[NewjerseyTea]

I was volunteering at the annual garden club plant sale when I was asked where the butterfly bushes were (yes there were butterfly bushes and Nandina and..) I steered the customer to Joe-Pye-Weed instead and liatris and goldenrod. I say it's one lone point for native plants.

[webmaster]

Shhhh... [the sound of one quiet hand clapping]

[Transplant]

Hurray for you, NewJerseyTea: subtle but effective!

[TheLorax]

Say whaaaaaaaaaaat???
No little spritzer bottle of RoundUp in your purse for the butterfly bushes (evil laugh).

[NewjerseyTea]

Next year I'll try submitting the NJ Native Plant Society list of NJ natives with accompanying NJ native butterflies to the plant sale committee and ask for a special featured native area.
I heard that evil laugh all the way in NJ Lorax.
Thanks for the support everyone. It is nice to have a place to share with people who get it.

[TheLorax]

So you heard me way over in NJ, eh?

There are lots of people who have this preconceived notion that native plants are scraggly and otherwise unattractive. When it's a sale like that, I'm just happy if they steer clear of known invasives. What about sharing your concerns regarding the Butterfly Bush and the Nandina and just ask if it would be possible to not offer plants such as those for the sake of appearances. Chances are real good the people who chose plants to offer for the sale didn't have a clue. People do care.

Point in context, the elementary school does fund raisers every year and one is a large pre-order plant sale. I kept my mouth shut for years about several plants they were repeatedly offering but one day the burning bushes, bradford pears in a bag, and English ivy got to me. I printed off information from the Internet about their invasiveness and the toll they take on the environment and asked them to please consider not offering plants such as this as the school's name was being associated with these types of plants. I got a call from the Principal who told me nobody knew and that they were simply running with plants the nursery stated were most popular. They've been giving me the list every year since then and all I do is draw a line through known invasives and noxious weeds and return it to them. Oddly enough, I haven't had kids in elementary school for a loooooooong time yet they still get the list to me to look over for them every year.

[NewjerseyTea]

That is an excellent suggestion Lorax, but somehow I see me being drafted to serve on the plant sale committee.

[doccat5]

Well, I went to the local plant sale and just happened to have a salt shaker in my purse, oops...........Talked my gf out of the buddelia and into a Joe Pyle and did the standard "lecture" about invasive to natives. So several plp put them back. Got a really evil look, but unfortunately for her, that was not the first time for me............grin

LOL