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The Native Plant Center's Sale Arrives In Valhalla

VALHALLA, N.Y. -- Edible native plants will be featured among many perennials, shrubs and trees available at The Native Plant Center’s 16th annual Native Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 25 at Westchester Community College in Valhalla.

Photo Credit: Flickr User Curiosity thrills

The sale opens to the public at 10 a.m. Native Plant Center members may enter at 9:30 a.m.

Native food plants available at the sale include fruits, such as blueberries, strawberries and cranberries, as well as lesser-known treats such as pawpaw, Jerusalem artichoke, prickly pear, ramps and ostrich fern. 

“Food is the entry into gardening for many people,” said Carol Capobianco, director of The Native Plant Center. “In fact, more than one-third of all U.S. households garden for food. But none of the most popular foods that are grown in the U.S. are native species. We aim to change that by encouraging people to incorporate edible native plants into their landscapes. Many of these species are also beautiful, so they can be planted beyond the borders of the typical vegetable garden.”

The Native Plant Center’s picks for 2015 also are food plants that will be for sale. The Native Woody of the Year, common elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis), is a deciduous shrub whose flowers and berries can be cooked into fritters and jams. The flowers of the Native Perennial of the Year, Canada violet (Viola canadensis), make a fresh garnish or can be candied to decorate a cake.

In addition to edible plants, the sale will offer enduring garden favorites, like phlox and coralbells, as well as species beloved by songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees such as chokeberry, beebalm, milkweed and hyssop.

Native plant specialists will be on hand throughout the sale to answer questions and assist gardeners in choosing great options for their sites.

The sale is at Westchester Community College, 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla. Sale attendees should enter the East Grasslands Entrance and park in Lot #1. Volunteers are needed to prepare for the sale and to assist on sale day itself.

Those interested in volunteering, or those seeking further information about the sale, should visit nativeplantcenter.org, email wcc.nativeplant@sunywcc.org, or call 914-606-7870.

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