Digging In Garden Club of Durango’s popular Spring Plant Sale features hardy divided perennials suited to the region By Karla Sluis
Durango Living Editor
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urango’s signs of spring include fluffedup robins, a rushing river, crabapple blooms, and winter-weary gardeners elbowing each other for little potted plants. The Garden Club of Durango’s annual Spring Plant Sale will be held at Santa Rita Park on May 16 starting at 9 a.m. The popular event, which has been running for about 40 years, usually sells out by 10:30 a.m. The public is invited to buy potted perennial flowers, herbs, shrubs, groundcovers and more at very reasonable prices. One-gallon pots sell for between $4 and $9, and larger plants sell between $10 and $12. All of the money raised goes to maintain and improve the Santa Rita Rose Garden, created in 1989 for public enjoyment. The plants will be divided from established perennials in local gardens. That’s part of the reason the sale is so popular, according to Lee Hayes, the club’s plant sale chairman. “These plants are acclimated, hardy and well-suited to the region; plus the prices are good, and people know the money goes to support a nonprofit,” she said. Hayes chuckles a little when she describes eager customers waiting anxiously for the sale
to start. “People start lining up at 8:15 a.m. I say, really? They’re just little potted plants!” The selection of plants varies from year to year, but in the past people could buy violets, irises, lilies, grasses, houseplants, raspberries, strawberries, ground covers, penstemon, daisies, coneflower, herbs and more. Hayes said 90 percent of the club’s expert gardeners will be on hand or working at the sale. They are familiar with the plants and can help answer questions. The practice of dividing helps established perennials thrive through the years. Hayes said if a plant is becoming too large, crowding other plants or overtaking an area, it’s a good idea to divide it. The rule of thumb is if a plant flowers in the late summer or early fall, you can divide it in the spring. It’s a fairly simple process to use a shovel to slice through the center or side of a perennial clump, digging deep and making sure to lift the roots; but novice gardeners should research the process, and look up each plant’s specific requirements. The club welcomes community donations of garden perennials for the sale. Gardeners may call Lee Hayes at 259-1491 in early spring. She will arrange a time for volunteers to dig and pot plants before the sale.
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ventilation to keep pathogens down, like a fan or window. l Water in the morning, and keep the soil surface on the dry side to prevent disease and insects. l Don’t let transplants in an open flat get overcrowded. Thin them to the specifications on the seed packet. l Prevent seedlings from getting spindly, or top-heavy on fragile stems, by keeping the light source low – just above the plant’s leaves without touching them. After transplanting in the garden, use a frost guard 35 • lSunday, March 25, 2012 • Durango Living/Spring (Native Roots carries a breathable fabric) to protect plants from wind and temperature fluctuations. “Our growing season is so short. You really need to plan this out and think about what you’re doing,” said Wickman.
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