Beautiful plants at great prices, all for a good cause, will be offered on Friday, May 10 at the Darien Community Association from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Enjoy free coffee and tea with home baked scones and muffins while you shop, learn and socialize. There is no fee for entry to the plant sale or the workshops offered with it.
— an announcement from the Darien Community Association
The DCA Plant Sale, run by the DCA Greenhouse Group, offers over 1,500 naturally-grown hardy perennials from their greenhouse: sun-loving, shade-loving, native, deer-resistant, and highly-prized new plants are available.
They are also offering colorful annuals and some newly-introduced succulents. Tomatoes and other favorites you just can’t live without will also be for sale.
Many DCA Greenhouse Group members will be available to answer your questions, help you plan your gardens and containers, and to help you find the perfect plants for you.
Photo from the Darien Community Association
Plants for the May 10 DCA Plant Sale are nurtured by dedicated DCA Greenhouse Group members.
Proceeds from the sale help support the DCA’s nonprofit mission, including college scholarships for Darien High School graduates.
Again this year we will have our wonderful boutique. A unique collection of garden treasures including: statues, terrariums, large ceramic pots, iron urns, birdhouses, tools and follies galore!
Workshops
Back by popular demand are several free workshops conducted by Greenhouse Group members.
9:30 a.m. — Plants for Shade
- Liz Dwyer moved to Darien 20 years ago and started her gardens from scratch. Several of her beds are in deep shade bordering the woods on her property.
- Through trial and error she has found winning combinations that add interest and even color all year round despite the lack of light. Some of the plant selections she has used in shade will be available for purchase.
10 a.m. — Container Planting
- This workshop will highlight some of the plants offered at the sale, both perennial and annual, and include tips on the choice and combination of plants, as well as the care and maintenance of planters.
- Feel free to bring in your planters or pictures and measurements! Flora Smeaton, British- born lover of gardens and gardening, studied for the CT Master Gardener certification in 2011 and has been putting her knowledge and experience into practice ever since.
10:30 a.m. — Companion Planting
- “It’s helpful to think of building good plant communities when planning a garden. This is the most important concept behind companion planting. Time-tested garden wisdom holds that certain plants grown close together become helpmates.”
- Come learn from master gardener Katie Keith, how some varieties of plants grown in the DCA Greenhouse assist each other by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, and providing nutrients, shade, or support.
11 a.m. — Pollinator Pathway
- The Pollinator Pathway is a pesticide-free corridor that provides native habitat for pollinators and other insects whose populations are in alarming decline.
- Juliet Cain and Deepika Saksena will talk about the threats to our pollinators and other insects, what that means to us, what the causes are, and how the Darien Pollinator Pathway seeks to restore the balance.
- The overall goal is to encourage residents and businesses to be a part of the Pollinator Pathway by using native plants in their yards and avoiding synthetic chemicals that kill insects (and harm other animals) indiscriminately.
- Juliet Cain is a greenhouse member and co-chair of the Darien Pollinator Pathway, chair of the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of Darien and cocChair of the Darien Green Team.
- Deepika Saksena is co-chair of the Darien Pollinator Pathway and an accredited organic land care professional certified by CT NOFA. She is an environmentalist with a special interest in organic gardening and farming.
Many of our greenhouse members will be available all morning to answer your questions and help you plan your gardens and containers.
For further information view dariendca.org or contact the DCA at info@dariendca.org or 203-655-9050 extension 10. These events will be held at the DCA, at 274 Middlesex Road in Darien, CT.