Spring Plant Sale Continues
Through March 25
Arboretum annual members save 20-percent on plant purchases throughout this popular event -- which continues daily through March 25. Meet Arboretum staff horticulturists, Pinal County master gardener volunteers, and horticulture experts such as Mesa author Catherine ‘The Herb Lady’ Crowley on weekends. March 17 at 10:30 Crowley will present a lecture on successful desert gardening – with an accent on edible landscaping. There’s no fee to attend, her talk is included with daily admission of $9 for adults, $4.50 ages 5-12. And on March 25 (Sunday) we have an afternoon concert in the picnic area with Scott Schaefer and Scott Simon; complete details are below.
Whats new this year? Plants of South Africa - including haworthias, aloes, gasterias, crassulas,
aeoniums, lithops, adenias, adeniums, comiphora, euphorbias and mesembs. And, of course, a vast selection of cacti, agaves, shrubs, trees, herbs and potted flowers ready to add color and variety outside your home.
Spring Plant Sale is a great place to stock-up on plants for your own garden, backyard or patio. Most of the plants available for purchase during the event are grown by Arboretum horticultural staff in the Arboretum's own nurseries. Experienced Arboretum horticultural staff and Pinal County Master Gardeners are usually on hand to answer plant questions throughout the sale. Arboretum horticulturists not only grow the plants for the plant sale, but also maintain many of these same plants in the gardens and plant exhibits throughout the grounds. They really know how these plants perform, from nursery pot to maturity in your garden or landscape!
Please buy a membership and help support the Arboretum, annual memberships
start at $45, last for a full year, and our members save 20-percent
on plant and book purchases during the plant sale! Check
our Plant Sale List to review what we expect to have in stock.
Looking for a specific plant in stock absent from that list?
Call and talk with our Certified Nursery staff members at 520-689-2723.
Wondering if a particular plant would do well in our corner of Pinal County? All landscape-size plant containers are labeled with complete plant information including type of plant (shrub, tree, perennial, etc.), flower color, flowering time, mature width and height, hardiness, exposure, and wildlife that each plant attracts.
And you can preview the selection online, a list of varietals often available during the seasonal plants sales is posted on the BTA website at ag.arizona.edu/bta; you're also welcome to phone the gift shop staff at 520-689-2723 with specific inquiries.
Featured plants include:
SPECIAL EVENTS
* Mesa author Catherine ‘The Herb Lady’ Crowley March 17 presents a lecture on successful desert gardening – with an accent on edible landscaping. There’s no fee to attend, her talk is included with daily admission of $9 for adults, $4.50 ages 5-12.
* Plants of the Bible Walk March 17 at 1:30 p.m.
Mesa resident and Bible Scholar Dave Oberpriller teaches participants about botany, history and scripture on this slow-paced and relaxing walk down smooth and flat trails that are wheelchair-accessible. Frankincense is among the most famous Plants of the Bible referenced in scripture, and Dave often brings a long a few of his own potted, rare frankincense plants and has them available for purchase at "around $80", with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Arboretum.
* Junior Ranger Saturday Afternoon Activities For Kids Every Week 2:00 p.m. March 10, 17, adn 24.
Can you really get water from a barrel cactus? What direction is north - and how can I use desert plants to find my way back to the car? Kids who are curious about nature or want to feel more confident outdoors: join us Saturday afternoons this winter and spring for Junior Ranger guided activities at 2pm weekly through the end of April. No pre-registration required, just be in our visitor center lobby at start time. Our docent-guided outings are included with daily admission of $4.50 for kids age 5-12 or $9 for older participants (parents' admission is also $9; parents or adult chaperones are required to stay nearby and keep an eye on their kids). For detail call 520-689-2723 or check out ag.arizona.edu/bta; connect with 2,700 BTA annual members, volunteers and staff at facebook.com/boycethompsonarboretum
* Tree Tour With Tom McDonald Sunday March 18 at 1:30 p.m. So, exactly what is an Arboretum? Tom McDonald , owner of the Smiling Dog Landscapes Company in Gold Canyon, guides this Third Sunday Of The Month walk where visitors learn the answer to that often-posed question during a relaxed and leisurely guided tour through the forested areas of the Arboretum. Join us for a chance to learn about the Arboretum's collection of oak and olive trees, native hackberry, mesquite and many more.BTA staff member and Certified Arborist Jeff Payne leads the walk April 15.
* The Arboretum Rocks! A geology walking tour March 24 at 1:30pm Folks in Superior know the easternmost corner of Pinal County is copper-mining country - but just how much do you truly know about the geology which produced the Superstition range and Picket Post Mountain, the Apache Leap escarpment and thelocal troves of copper and silver? This once-a-month geology walk guided by Gold Canyon geologist Kristen Gholson and her colleague Alan Seymour are a chance to see rocks and volcanic formations along the main trail, a guided tour that compresses almost two billion years of geologic history into just over one educational hour!
* Concert With Scott Schaefer and Scott Simon March 25 at 12:30 to 2:00 pm. Invite friends and pack a picnic -- plan to spend the afternoon here Sunday March 25 on the final day of our Spring Plant Sale for a live concert featuring Scott Schaefer and Scott Simon - the duo who proved so popular here back in November during our Fall Foliage Finale Festival event. Schaefer's flute and didgeridoo music has found another great complement with guitarist Scott Simon of Sedona. Since November the two Scotts have been playing together using the stage name The Celestial Misfits - and they offer concerts at Valley venues, too; to be added to their concert email list send an "Add Me Please" note to celestialmisfits@gmail.com
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is located
at highway 60 milepost #223 near the historic copper mining town of Superior;
45 miles due East of Mesa or about 90 minutes drive Northeast of Tucson
via Oracle Road to highway 79 north to highway 60 east. Daily hours are
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The annual Spring Plant Sale is a fundraising event
that supports programs of Boyce Thompson Arboretum; park admission is required
to enter the Arboretum grounds.
IF
YOU GO....
WHAT: Annual Plant Sale
WHERE: Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a
320-acre Arizona State Park
located at highway 60 milepost #223 near the historic copper mining town of
Superior; just 45 miles due east of Mesa or about 90 minutes drive northeast
of Tucson via Oracle Road to highway 79 north to highway 60 east
WHEN: The sale continues daily during
business hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through Sunday, March 25
HOW MUCH: $9 adult admission ($4.50 ages
5-12) to enter the grounds, even if the visit is simply to buy plants during
the plant sale event
FMI: listen to an updated recording about
tours or events by calling 520.689.2811; to check with our staff about whether
specific plants are available please call 520-689-2723 during business hours
daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.