The Backyard Plant Sale

12th Annual Backyard Plant Sale

April 3, 2012

Hello Gardening Friends:

So I hear we are about two weeks ahead this year! Spring has definitely sprung. There are many things coming up so early that we may see some things at the plant sale that we don’t usually see.

The Annual Backyard Plant Sale is a sale I hold in my backyard each year. The plants are donated by interested people like you and come from our own gardens. Additionally Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden donates daffodil bulbs from their conservatory. The one pictured above will be in this year’s sale. Proceeds from the sale benefit The Nature Conservancy’s Chesapeake Rivers Program specifically for land acquisitions in our area.

The dates this year will be:

Friday, May 4th from 4:00 pm – dark

Saturday, May 5th from 9am – 1pm

The location is my backyard at 203 Howard Street in Ashland.

For those who donate plants, there are the excellent perks! There will be a preview sale for donors on Thursday, May 3rd from 4pm-dark. On this day, only donors may purchase up to the number of plants donated by that person. Some items actually sell out on this day. So the more plants you donate, the more purchasing power you have. I hope you will note this is not a swap but a sale to raise money for a good cause.

Saturday at 1:20, all leftover plants are given to any plant donor in any quantity. This part of the sale has become very popular to the donors. Those who are not plant donors can still purchase plants at this time until they are gone.

If you have plants to donate, you can leave them on my front porch any time during the week before the sale (please leave your name so I know who donated what). If you can label the variety, that’s great. We will price them. No invasive alien plants will be sold. (Check out the list – it may surprise you!) and we love to see Virginia native plants at the sale.

For those of you who love to garden, this is a wonderful way of making a donation to an organization that preserves land in our area.

If you are on facebook I have a facebook page called “Annual Backyard Plant Sale”.

Thank you very much.

Julie Ericksen

Friday, May 4, 2012 from 4pm – dark
Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 9am-1pm

I hope you’ll join us!

Bulbs and Tubers

Canna lily – tubers
Crocosmia
Crocus
Daffodil – large yellow trumpet (Lewis Ginter)
Daffodil – ‘February Gold’ (Lewis Ginter)
Daffodil – ‘Barrett Browning’ (Lewis Ginter)
Daffodil – ‘Ice Follies’ (Lewis Ginter)
Daffodil – ‘Suade’ (Lewis Ginter)
Dahlia tubers
Iris
Iris sibirica – Siberian iris
Tulips

Shrubs
Butterfly Bush
Calycanthus (Sweetshrub)
Caryopteris, two kinds
Deutzia
Forsythia
Hibiscus
Lilac
Mahonia seedlings
Nandina
Rose of Sharon
Spirea–small yellow and Bridal Wreath
Rose
Snowball Bush

Trees
Crape myrtle seedlings
Holly seedlings
Redbud

Shade plants (or partial sun)
Japanese anemone – pale pink w/ yellow center
Arum Italicum
x White Wood Aster
Hardy Begonia
Strawberry Begonia
Columbine (VA native)
Dutchman’s Breeches
Sweet Flag – Acorus
Day Lilies
Helleborus (foetidus and orientalis)
Hosta (various kinds)
x Scilla – pink (1)
Siberian Iris
Liriope – plain and variegated
Lily of the Valley
Lunaria (money plant)
Monarda – Bee Balm
Persicaria
Primula – Red with yellow eye, Grandma’s yellow
Variegated Solomon’s Seal
Woodland Poppy
Spiderwort – Tradescantia
St. John’s Wort – Hypericum
Sweet Woodruff
Toad lily – Tricyrtis hirta

Sun plants
Amsonia hubrichtii (native)
Amsonia tabernaemontana (VA native)
Anemone robustissima – Fall flowering anemone
Artemisia (variegated and two silver kinds)
Tartarian Aster
Blue Aster
Baptisia (false indigo)
Cactus – Prickly Pear (VA native)
Korean Bellflower — Campanula
Black-Eyed Susans (VA native)
Brown-Eyed Susans (VA native)
Chinese Lantern
Chrysanthemum
Crocosmia
Cutleaf Coneflower (VA native)
Dianthus ‘Bath’s Pink’ (2)
Dock – red-veined
Echinacea – Purple coneflower
Echinops – globe thistle (purple)
x Elderberry
Scented geranium
Festuca Glauca – ‘Elijah Blue’
Hibiscus Zinger seedlings
Ice plant
Bearded Iris
Iris Cristata (VA native)
Jerusalem artichoke (VA native)
Lamb’s ear (Stachys lanata)
Larkspur (reseeding annual)
Lilies, Asiatic
Day Lilies (orange, yellow, misc)
Lychnis – Rose Campion – Mullein Pink
Malva
Nigella – “love in a mist” (reseeding annual)
Peony
Phlox – various kinds
Primrose, red/yellow flowers
x Blue Salvia
Rose – tiny groundcover
Purple Salvia
Sea Oats – chasmanthium latifolum (VA native)
Sedum upright
Sedum Ground Covers (several kinds)
Stokesia – white or blue

Herbs, Fruits and Veggies (grow in full sun)
Arugula
Thornless Blackberries
Blueberry – ‘O’Neal’
Garlic Chives
Evergreen Comfrey
Echinacea – Purple Coneflower
Egyptian Walking Onion
Elephant Garlic bulbs
Anise Hyssop
Jerusalem artichoke
Lemon Balm
Lettuce – ‘Lollo Rosso’ and ‘Little Gem’
Mint
Mountain Mint
Monarda — Bee Balm (VA native)
Potatoes
Red Raspberries
Sage “Berggarten”
Strawberries
Sweet Woodruff
Tomato – Riesentraube
Yarrow

Grasses
Chasmanthium latifolium – sea oats (VA native)
Festuca glauca ‘Elijah blue’
Phalaris arundinacea var. picta (ribbon grass – ok in shade)

House Plants
Jade plant
Poinsettia

I’m gearing up big time for the sale next week! The yard is ready and the plants are rolling in. If you have plants you would like to donate, you may bring them — the sooner the better! However if sooner isn’t better for you I will take them at any time before or during the sale. If I am not there just leave them on my front porch or near the side gate going to the back. The address is 203 Howard Street, Ashland.

For those of you who donate plants, the preview sale is this Thursday, April 28th from 4pm until dark. At that time, plant donors may purchase up to the number of plants they donate. Please remember this is not a swap, nor has it ever been a swap. It is a sale to raise money for The Nature Conservancy.

The sale continues for the general public on Friday, April 29th from 4pm until dark and Saturday, April 30th from 9am – 1pm.

Also for those who donate plants before Saturday of the sale, there will be free plants available after the sale is over. The sale will end at 1pm and the yard will be cleared out for 20 minutes before the ‘after sale’ occurs. At this time Deborah Barber, who works for The Nature Conservancy, will give a short talk about what the money from the sale will benefit. At 1:20, the yard will be opened again for the ‘free for donors’. This is one of my favorite parts of the sale because there are always great plants left over and I love to see you donors get some neet things to try. It also benefits me by quickly cleaning out my back yard!

Hope to see you soon!

julie

Hello Gardening Friends:

This Rainy Day at the end of winter seems like a perfect time to announce the 11^th Annual Backyard Plant Sale. Daily we are seeing signs of new life and the rain will provide all of our gardens a nice soaking.

For those of you who don’t know about “The Backyard Plant Sale”, I hold a plant sale in my back yard each year. The plants are donated by interested people like you and come from our own gardens. Last year, we had about 1600 plants donated and, additionally, about 3000 daffodil bulbs were donated by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Proceeds from the sale benefit The Nature Conservancy’s Chesapeake Rivers Program specifically for land acquisitions in our area. http://tinyurl.com/4gh97cj

The dates this year will be:

Friday, April 29th from 4:00 pm – dark

Saturday, April 30th from 9am – 1pm

The location is my back yard at 203 Howard Street in Ashland.

For those who donate plants, there are the excellent perks! There will be a preview sale for donors on Thursday, April 28th from 4-dark. On this day, only donors may purchase up to the number of plants donated by that person. Some items actually sell out on this day. So the more plants you donate, the more purchasing power you have. I hope you will note this is not a swap but a sale to raise money for a good cause.

Saturday at 1:30, all leftover plants are given to any plant donor in any quantity. This part of the sale has become very popular to the donors. Those who are not plant donors can still purchase plants at this time until they are gone.

For those of you who love to garden, this is a wonderful way of making a donation to an organization that preserves land in our area.

Thank you very much.

Julie Ericksen

Wow! What a sale. I think I’m fully recovered. Fitting that the 10th would be the best so far, but I say that every year… You all helped me raise $4300 this year, a record, making the grand total for 10 years around $23,700 for The Nature Conservancy. I still have money dribbling in. THANK YOU.

And if you couldn’t come, IT’S OK!!! It’s always ok. There will always be enough people who come and donate plants and buy plants. I had 66 donors this year donate almost 1600 plants — not to mention about 3000 bulbs from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Some people donate 1 plant and some people, like my friend Sheryl, donate over 300 great plants!

There are a lot of stories around the plant sale that I love. I will share them with you over time in this blog. Today a story happened that I will share with you now.

Someone who came to the plant sale told me she lived in the Fan in Richmond. Her address was very near where we have a condo so I told her I would have to walk over there next time I was in the area. I did that today. I had a vague memory of the address so I just decided to head in that direction and find it. I did, sure enough.

I found myself in front of a precious house with a garden chock full of plants. Toward the front, at the sidewalk, there was a small area that was recently cleaned out and planted. I started recognizing plants! And she had put some of the little markers that came with the plants next to the plants. I recognized my friend Mary Lou’s handwriting on one of the markers and my friend Sheryl’s handwriting on another one! I recognized one of the plants from my own garden, a helianthus. And there were some plants with no markers that I recognized from the plant sale. How cool is that! I just stood there smiling. I love you all and your passion for living, growing things.

List updated Friday, April 30 at 10am.

Things marked with X are no longer available after preview.

Bulbs and Tubers

Belladonna Lilies

Canna lily – tubers

Crocosmia

Daffodil – large yellow trumpet (Lewis Ginter)

Daffodil – “Minnow” (Lewis Ginter)

Daffodil – ‘February Gold’ (Lewis Ginter)

Daffodil – ‘My Story’ (Lewis Ginter)

Daffodil – ‘Bridal Crown’ (Lewis Ginter)

Daffodil – ‘Barrett Browning’ (Lewis Ginter)

Iris – misc

Iris sibirica – Siberian iris

Shrubs

Blueberry

Butterfly Bush

X Calycanthus florida ‘sweetshrub’ (VA native) Unusual, fruit-scented flowers

X Camellia sasanqua seedling (fall flowering camellia)

Cutleaf Elderberry (VA Native)

X Annabelle Hydrangea

Mahonia

Nandina

Flowering Quince

Forsythia

X Red Twig Dogwood

Ribes odoratum ‘Crandall’ — Buffalo current. Spicy clove-scented flowers

Rose of Sharon

Strawberry bush (VA native)

Trees

Dogwood seedling

Hazel

American Hornbeam

Japanese maple

X Red Maple seedlings

Plum Tree (1 seedling)

Tulip Poplar seedling

Redbud seedlings

Rose of Sharon

Black walnut tree (1 seedling)

Shade plants (or partial sun)

Japanese anemone – pale pink w/ yellow center

White Wood Aster

Astilbe

Hardy Begonia

Strawberry Begonia

Columbine (VA native)

Christmas Fern

Japanese Painted Fern

Sensitive Fern (VA native)

Sweet Flag

Geranium ‘Claridge Druce’

Day Lilies

Helleborus (foetidus and orientalis)

Hosta (various kinds)

Siberian Iris

Liriope

Lily of the Valley (pink and white)

Monarda – Bee Balm

X Money Plant

Persicaria

Plumbago (partial shade)

Primula – Red with yellow eye, Grandma’s yellow

Variegated Solomon’s Seal

Spiderwort – Tradascantia

Sweet Woodruff

Toad lily – Tricyrtis hirta

Sun plants

Amsonia tabernaemontana (VA native)

Anemone robustissima – Fall flowering anemone

Artimisia (2 or 3 varieties)

Tartarian aster

Baptisia (false indigo)

Korean Bellflower — Campanula

Black-Eyed Susans (VA native)

Brown-Eyed Susans (VA native)

Chinese Lantern

Autumn Clematis

Crocosmia

Cutleaf Coneflower

Shasta Daisy

Echinacea – Purple coneflower

Echinops – globe thistle (purple)

Elderberry

Euphorbia

Hyacinth bean seedlings

Bearded Iris

Walking Iris (not hardy in this zone – bring inside)

Jerusalem artichoke

Lamb’s ear (Stachys lanata)

Larkspur (reseeding annual)

Lilies, Asiatic

Day Lilies (orange, yellow, misc)

Lychnis – Rose Campion – Mullein Pink

Milkweed

Apricot mum

Nigella – “love in a mist” (reseeding annual)

Peony

Plumbago (or partial shade)

Primrose, red/yellow flowers

Red Hot Poker – Kniphofia

X Russian sage

Sea Oats – chasmanthium latifolum (VA native)

Sedum upright

Sedum Ground Covers (several kinds)

St. John’s Wort – hypericum (ground cover)

Stokesia

Veronica, very tall, unknown variety

Herbs, Fruits and Veggies (grow in full sun)

Thornless Blackberries

Blueberries

Garlic Chives

Evergreen Comfrey

Echinacea – Purple Coneflower

Egyptian Walking Onion

Elephant Garlic bulbs

Feverfew

Lemon Balm

Chocolate Mint

Mountain Mint (VA native)

Pineapple Mint

Monarda — Bee Balm (VA native)

Oregano

Red Raspberries

Rosemary

Strawberries

Sweet Woodruff

Tomato

Yarrow

Grasses

Chasmanthium latifolium – sea oats (VA native)

Black Moudry Grass

Phalaris arundinacea var. picta (ribbon grass – ok in shade)

Water Plants

Yes, 3 or 4 varieties

Indoor Plants

Japanese Walking Iris (not winter hardy)

Have received over 600 plants from just a handful of folks. Expect over 1600 plants this year plus thousands of bulbs from Lewis Ginter! I plan to publish the list probably Wednesday evening.

Shoot me an email at jbericksen@comcast.net to make arrangements. I’m also willing to take your pots if you want to unload them.

These are just plants from me and two friends so far. The list will grow significantly!

Amsonia (native)

Anemone robustissima (fall flowering anemone)

Artimisia (Silver King and Queen?)

Calycanthus florida (native Sweet Shrub)

Cannas (7 foot red)

Columbine (native red/yellow)

Coreopsis (native)

Echinaciea – Purple Cone Flower

Helianthus

Helleborus Orientalis

Iris (Siberian and German)

Korean Bell Flower

Perennial Leeks/Elephant Garlic

Lamb’s ear

Monarda – Bee Balm (native)

Oxalis (pink flowered)

Rubus Odoratum ‘Crandall’ – Clove Current (native plant)

Rudbeckia – Black Eyed Susans (native)

Sedum – ground cover

Stokesia (Stokes Aster)

Strawberry Begonia

Tiger Lily (pale yellow)

Tricyrtis (Toad Lily)