About the Montreat 2016 Annual Native Plant Sale & Arbor Day Celebration
Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in our fourth annual Native Plant Sale and second annual Arbor Day.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Moore Center Field
Montreat, N.C.
(Across from Anderson Auditorium)
In just four years this event has built on the solid foundation of its original focus on education and sales related to native plant species in individual gardens, so that now we enjoy this year’s diversity of more products, a growing variety of educational classes and exhibits on subjects such as forest conservation, and new activities including our hemlock tree restoration walk… and even a food truck. For a map to find us, click here.
What the Event Aims to Achieve
The goal of this event is to “Promote awareness and use of native plants in Montreat yards, gardens and landscapes, while avoiding introductions of invasive, non-native species.” Objectives for achieving this focused goal include:
(1) Educating homeowners on appropriate native plants and gardening practices, particularly using perennials such as wildflowers and also indigenous tree species,
(2) Officially acknowledging Montreat’s achievement of becoming a Tree City USA this year. A proclamation and “ribbon-cutting” will be held at 9 a.m., all are welcome.
(3) Providing vendor exposure and sales/networking/service opportunities,
(4) Educating home and property owners more broadly about overall care of their lands, and the lands of Montreat’s ecosystem, and best practices for maintaining them,
(5) Offering non-profit educational interests a platform for sharing science-based information on native plants, wildlife and regional habitats, such as through displays and seminars,
(6) Using the event as part of building a greater plan/vision for sustainability of Montreat’s vegetation and environment,
(7) Celebrating community-mindedness in a social setting,
(8) Affording visibility for Landcare Committee programs and its eight member organizations, and providing outreach from the town to the larger community in the area.
The Day's Program
Events run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, 2016. Vendors and exhibitors will be on-site at all times. See the list of classes below for when they are offered. We expect the food truck to be open from mid-morning until afternoon.
For a gallery of images from past years click here.
Vendors and Exhibitors
Sales of Native Plants, Trees and Supplies:
- Appalachian Chic—food and refreshments!
- Appalachian Creek Nursery & Landscape
- High Country Nursery
- In-Site Out Design
- Mellie Mac’s Garden Shack
- Professional Landscape Solutions
- Ten Thousand Villages
Exhibits, Information and Display Tables:
- Montreat Landcare Committee
- Extension Master Gardeners
- North Carolina Forest Service
- Hemlock Restoration Initiative
Schedule of Classes and Presentations
What's a Native Plant?
More than ever, native plants should be the preferred choice of homeowners, businesses and institutions for their gardens. A native plant is adapted to local climate and seasons, and offers advantages concerning drought hardiness and resistance to disease and insect pests. In contrast, so-called invasive plants cause problems in the environment because they may be toxic to native wildlife, while a lack of natural controls can allow rampant growth. Click here for a Montreat Landcare Fact Sheet with some practical tips on use of native plants.
What Are Invasive Plants and Why Avoid Them?
“Exotics” are non-native plants introduced by human action from another geographic area. Some are accidental, but many have been deliberate, intended to beautify gardens or actually enhance wildlife. Many are benign. But, a particular class of non-natives called “invasive species” is dangerous to native flora and even animals. They can choke out favored wildflowers, overgrow plants, and be harmful to wildlife. Montreat invasives include Japanese knotweed, Oriental bittersweet, and even English Ivy. See Landcare Fact Sheet #2 concerning invasives.
What's Arbor Day?
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, “Trees Are Simply Amazing! They clean air and water, slow climate change, ease poverty and hunger, prevent species loss, and feed the human soul. All we need to do is plant and care for them. Let’s work together to make it happen around the world.” It’s in this spirit that Arbor Day was founded in Nebraska in 1872. In 2016 Montreat was awarded Tree City USA status by the Foundation.
How to Find Us?
Events are being held both outdoors on the Moore Center Field and indoors in the Moore Center meeting room (ground floor), along Lookout Road and just below Lake Susan in Montreat, North Carolina. Parking is available in the large lots adjacent to Anderson Auditorium, on the right side of Assembly Drive just under one mile after passing the stone Montreat gate. For a map click here.
Our History
The idea for a “native plant sale” in Montreat was conceived and adopted as a Landcare project in 2012. Our first three programs have had both their successes and growing pains. We recall the “buzz” of homeowners during the first event, on a bright crisp morning in 2013, and the pleasure of all four of our vendors (and master gardeners) with customer traffic that day. While the original emphasis has continued to be on providing a venue for display and purchase of locally sourced, smaller, perennial native plants, the event grew to include an Arbor Day (trees) component in 2015. Plus, a new series of educational workshops seemed to be a hit with property owners. Three of the original four plant vendors still are with us in 2016. Locating new growers/sellers who trade exclusively in native plant species is a challenge, especially at this time of year, not just for us but other communities as well. Defining the right mix of natives and decorative, long-blooming annual flowers to offer is a work in progress.
For More Information
Click the following links to learn more about the Montreat Landcare Committee, the Community Wildlife Habitat program, and the Montreat Tree Board-Arbor Day-Tree City USA programs of Montreat. Read the mayor’s Arbor Day proclamation here.
About Montreat Landcare
If you are familiar with Montreat, you know what a special place it is. This small cove is home to many people and organizations, and it is visited by well over 45,000 people each year. Lookout and Graybeard Mountains, Flat Creek, and Lake Susan hold many meaningful memories for generations of visitors and residents.
The Montreat Landcare Committee has been charged with the task of organizing projects to protect, to preserve, and to present the natural features of our cove. And this website has been designed to let you know about our progress, but more than that, to hopefully inspire others to develop their own projects in their own communities.
This site is very much a work in progress, so please check back often for information on and photos of our projects, resources for beginning your own projects, listings of upcoming hikes and events, and much more. Thank you for your support!
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