The 2023 Upstate SCNPS Spring Sale Call for Volunteers

AND WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

Here’s the skinny: The in-person plant sale is back, but with a hybrid twist. The General Sale (details below) will take place on Saturday, April 15, but MEMBERS & VOLUNTEERS will have the opportunity to purchase plants in advance (online-only), on Saturday and Sunday, April 8 & 9.

It takes a whole host of enthusiastic volunteers to put on a great plant sale. In the immortal words of longtime SCNPS member and mainstay Judy Seeley, “If everyone does a little, no one does too much!”

And, no worries: You don’t have to be an expert, just ready and willing to help. It takes a village to make magic. Read on for all the details!

UPDATE as of March 20th:

Some of the areas where we still need the most help are:

    • Equipment Transport (vehicles and people)
    • Day-of-Sale Set-Up
    • Traffic Direction/Management
    • Front Entrance Staffing
    • Checkout (Invoicers, Cashiers, Receipt Checkers)
    • Holding/Loading
    • Day-of-Sale Breakdown

VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE

Pre-Sale: Saturday, April 1, 10-1 – FILLED
Pre-Sale: Monday and Tuesday, April 10 & 11, 9-4 – FILLED
Sale Setup: Friday, April 14, 2023, 8 am – 4 pm
Sale: Saturday, April 15, 8:00 am – 1 pm
Breakdown: Saturday, April 15, 1 pm – 4 pm

Pre-Sale Orders: Saturday-Sunday, April 8 & 9 (Members & Volunteers) (Online ONLY)
Pickup at the Upstate Native Nursery (UNN), 180 Lakewood Dr., Mauldin, SC 29667, by Wednesday, April 12 

General Sale:  Saturday, April 15, 2023
Conestee Park, 840 Mauldin Road, Greenville, SC 29607. Gates Open 9 O’Clock! Gates Close 1 pm!

Just a few of the areas of expertise (or willingness to learn) that we’re seeking include:

Publicity

  • Got an in at a local paper or online newsletter? How about an Upstate-oriented podcast or radio program? Or, willing to distribute flyers to local businesses all over the Upstate? We can use your help!

Volunteer Recruitment

  • Please help us spread the word that we need volunteers.  College students would be great helpers in the holding and loading areas!

Setup/Breakdown

  • Have you got a strong back? Or a pickup truck? Or, even better, both? We need you! There’s a lot of physical labor involved in throwing this party. Tables and barricades need to be pulled out of storage, transported to the sale site and set up (and the reverse once the sale is over). The plants have to be moved from the SCNPS greenhouse and gardens to Conestee, and back again. (Not that there will be a single one left, of course!)
  • Not really feeling the machismo? That’s okay, we need you, too! We’ll be marking chalk lines, laying out row markers, and setting up the cashier stations. And, during the sale, we’ll need folks staffing the holding and pickup areas, manning the cash registers, monitoring/directing the flow of traffic into and out of the sale, and helping to keep the arteries clear.
  • Can’t be there for the whole day? We also need volunteers to help take inventory of the plants, both before the sale and after.

And It Wouldn’t be a Party…

  • …without refreshments! Do you bake, cater, or know someone who does? We need to keep our volunteers fed, caffeinated, hydrated, and happy!

Have we Mentioned the PERK?

  • Volunteers and members get first crack at the plants, during the presale, Saturday & Sunday, April 8th and 9th (online only). There’s a limit on what you can buy (because otherwise, we’d get wiped out before we opened!), but if you’ve got your heart set on a few special somethings, sign up today and be first in line!
For details about all the positions we need filled, click HERE.
Or, to dive right in and tell us how you can help, click HERE!

As much as we love our furry friends, only identified service dogs will be allowed inside the sale area. There is a dog park next to the upper parking lot where supervised dogs can play!

 

 

Midlands Spring 2023 Native Plant Sale

 

WHEN

Friday, April 14, 2023 6:00 pm until…
Members-Only Happy Hour and Early Sales
Bring your beverage of choice and come hang out, shop, and enjoy MNPS-provided snacks by the river.

Saturday April 15, 2023
8:30 am – 9:30 am: Final set-up and training morning volunteers
9:30 am – 10:00 am: Open to members
10:00 am – 5:00 pm: Open to general public

WHERE
Canoeing for Kids HQ, 114 Riverchase Court, Lexington SC

Come find the native plants that feed pollinators, birds, and bring some nature home! Perennials and shrubs are selected to thrive in the Midlands.

And stay a while! Get a bite to eat from the Wurst Wagon, buy a native plant book from All Good Books, browse plant-based art from Candace Thibeault, and get a bluebird house from Columbia Audubon Society.

Pay with cash or credit. BYO wagon is ok.

Plant list coming soon.

Volunteers needed for set up on Friday, April 14 and during the sale!
Volunteers can purchase plants early. Contact [email protected] to sign up or with questions.

  • Set Up Crew unloads plants from delivery trucks, places them according to a map, and installs plant signs on Friday during the day.
  • Cashier and Tally work together at the checkout to count up plants and prices, run credit cards, make change, and provide receipts.
  • Information Table hands out brochures and discusses how to learn more about native plants
  • Plant Helpers use wagons to move plants and will be assigned a list of about 5 plants to read up on and be ready to answer customer questions.

2023 Upstate Spring Sale Volunteer Job Descriptions

Volunteer activities will take place at these locations:

  • Upstate Native Nursery (UNN) at 180 Lakewood Dr., Mauldin, SC 29667
  • SCNPS storage unit: Midgard Self Storage, 935 Butler Rd, Greenville, SC, 29607
  • Conestee Park, 840 Mauldin Road, Greenville (near baseball stadium; a 3-minute drive south of I-85 exit to Mauldin Rd)

Pre-Sale Team:

  • Pre-Sale Inventory: Take plant inventory at UNN. Day: Saturday, April 1, 10-1
  • Pre-Sale Orders: Pull pre-sale orders for members and volunteers at UNN. Days: Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday
  • Prep for General Sale: Label and prepare plants at UNN. Day: Thursday
  • Load and Transport: Load and unload plants and equipment in and out of trucks from the UNN Greenhouse and Storage Unit to Conestee Park. Need “strong” backs. Bring your truck, trailer, or SUV if you can. Day: Friday

Set-Up Team:

  • Friday Help with plant sale site layout at Conestee Park. Help unload and arrange plants. Water Plants. Check for price tags. Set up checkout and holding area, and place traffic barriers. Saturday set up tents, tables, and chairs, and put out signs.

Day-Of Team:

  • Vehicle Traffic Directors: Stationed in the upper parking lot to make sure cars don’t get in the way of customers lining up to enter the sale and that customers line up safely. Also stationed at the lower parking lot to make sure cars drive through in the right direction. Day: Saturday
  • Front Entrance Team: Work at Entrance Table and Line Management. Greet customers at entry, hand out plant lists and membership forms. Use a clicker to count customers entering the gate. Manage customer lines during sale and direct customers to holding, checkout, and exits. Answer questions and explain the holding and checkout process. Direct customers to plant experts and guest vendors. Training will be provided. Day: Saturday
  • Sales Team: The “orange vest” team provides education and advocacy to customers (and other volunteers) and helps customers locate and select plants. Day: Saturday
  • Holding / Loading Area Team: Place plants in numbered spaces and give customer matching token. Help pull price stakes in preparation for checkout. Load plants into customer vehicles. Some heavy lifting and lots of walking are involved. Day: Saturday
  • Invoicing Team: Work at Checkout table as an invoicer: Pull, sort, and count price stakes; fill out invoices; calculate subtotals. **Must be familiar with calculators, and comfortable with numbers and invoicing. Training provided. Day: Saturday
  • Cashier Team: Work at Checkout table as a cashier: Add subtotals for a grand total on customer tickets.  Receive payment from customers (cash, check, credit/debit cards). **Must be comfortable with calculators and using card readers and making change — retail experience helpful. Training will be provided. Day: Saturday
  • Hospitality Team/Volunteer Welcome Tables: Provide information and refreshments for volunteers. Set up water cooler for everyone and keep table neat and stocked. Day: Saturday
  • Snack Maker: Provide cookies and snacks for volunteers. Day: Saturday
  • Information and Book Table: Talk to customers. Provide information on SCNPS, as well as Upstate Chapter and Membership. Sell books and provide handouts. Get customers to sign up for future plant sale emails. Day: Saturday

Post-Sale Team:

  • Help take post-sale inventory. Help break down the sale and reload remaining plants and equipment for unloading at the Greenhouse and storage unit. Take down barriers and clean up the area. Day: Saturday
To dive right in and tell us how you can help, click HERE.
To get more general information about the sale, click HERE.
All volunteers must sign a Release and Waiver of Liability form prior to their shift(s).

Gardening for Life Celebration: Call for Volunteers

“You are Nature’s Best Hope!” — a talk by Doug Tallamy at GFLP

On March 4 from 1-5pm our friends at the Gardening For Life Project are sponsoring a “Gardening for Life Celebration,” featuring the renowned Doug Tallamy (entomologist, esteemed ecologist, and author of the NY Times bestselling book Nature’s Best Hope) as keynote speaker, to be held live and in-person at Polk County High School in Columbus, NC. In addition to the speech, the celebration will feature exhibitions, book signings, and more. Tickets for the keynote are free, but registration is required.

SCNPS will be exhibiting; volunteers are needed! Contact Judy Seeley to learn more.

 

Photo credit: Rob Cardilo

 

Plant of the Month: Hepatica, or Liverleaf

Hepatica americana (Photo Credit: Dan Whitten)

by Dan Whitten

I always like to introduce a plant by giving its name, location, and description, and then tell other stories like how it got its name or how it is useful.

The common names of two similar plants in SC are Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) and Round-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana). The name “Hepatica” can be interchanged with the name “Liverleaf” (not to be confused with “Liverwort,” which is a spore producing vascular plant). Liverleaf is a seed-producing, herbaceous plant of the forest floor.

The scientific names have been changed a couple of times in Weakley’s Flora of the Southeastern United States. On May 21, 2015, the genus for both species changed from Hepatica to Anemone. Then on October 20, 2020, it changed back to the genus Hepatica. Thankfully, it remained the same in the latest edition of April 24, 2022. Interestingly, though, the 2022 version of A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina by McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, and White categorized it as the genus Anemone. (This book was featured in the September 2022 statewide SCNPS program and is a fantastic reference for flower enthusiasts.)

Of the two species of Hepatica occurring in South Carolina, the Sharp-lobed is the less common and occurs over calcareous or mafic rock, typically found in the mountainous part of the state. The Round-lobed is more common, with a wider geographic distribution. The differences between the two are in the tips of the lobes of the basal leaves, which are either sharp or rounded (hence the common names). In the bracts which are directly below the petaloid sepals, they are sharp tipped in the H. acutiloba and round tipped in the H. americana.  

Impress your (granted, thoroughly nerdy) friends by asking a trick question: How many petals does Hepatica have? Answer: none! They have instead 5-12 (typically around 7) petaloid sepals which are born on hairy pedicels and subtended by 3 bracts that mimic the sepals.

The petaloid sepals can be white, blue, lavender or purple. The basal leaves persist throughout the winter, and generally the new leaves come out well after the flowers in the spring. The flowers of the upstate reach peak bloom in March, but they can also be found at Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve as early as February and up near the Blue Ridge Parkway as late as April. At Station Cove Falls, I’ve seen a few plants flowering on the first day of the year, and once I saw a flower on Christmas Eve. So I challenge you to find a native and herbaceous wildflower that blooms any earlier in the year than Hepatica.

According to the Doctrine of Signatures, a plant was used to treat the part of the body that it resembled, and because the lobes of the brownish leaf of Hepatica in winter resembled the liver (aka the hepatic organ) in color and shape, it was used to treat everything from cowardice to freckles, including jaundice and other ailments believed to be of the liver.

George Hyams was collecting Hepatica in May of 1877 when he discovered the then long-lost plant that we now know as Oconee Bells, or Shortia galacifolia.

Upstate Fall Plant Sale Continues

Upstate Fall Native Plant Sale

Photo courtesy of The Greenhouse Gang October 1-22. 2022 at the Upstate Native Nursery

October 1 – 22, 2022

The annual Upstate Native Plant Society Fall sale is underway.

How to Order

The plant list is posted on scnps.org and a link is below.  Orders can be sent  directly to Kathy Harrington at [email protected].   Payments can be made by credit card and the orders will be placed into a holding area at the UNN for contact-less pickup.

Reservations for an onsite/buying visit to the Upstate Native Nursery during the sale will be accepted and scheduled depending on volunteer availability.  We welcome both members and non-members of the SC Native Plant Society.  Please contact Kathy Harrington directly at [email protected]or at 864-310-1144 to set up a date and time.

Special Shopping Days for SCNPS Members

As we have done before, SCNPS members have first dibs on these great plants on the first three days of the sale (10-1, 10-3, and 10-4), but there are plenty left for non-members to order to still order.  You must be a paid up member by 9-30-22 to qualify for the member shopping days.

Lists of plants available to purchase can be downloaded here:

Excel version

Adobe Acrobat version 

Remember, Fall is the best time to plant!

Upstate Spring Native Plant Sale

 

Upstate Spring Native Plant Sale

April 2 @ 8:30 am – 1:00 pm   Conestee Park, 840 Mauldin Road, Greenville

NATIVE PLANT SALE

The sale is a large, in-person style again this Spring at Conestee Park, 840 Mauldin Road in Greenville. The date is Saturday, April 2nd from 8:30am to 1pm. Early admission at 8:30am is for members only with the general public admitted at 9am. Knowledgeable advisors will be on the sale floor to assist customers with plant selection.

The sale includes a wide selection of native shrubs, trees, perennial wildflowers, ferns, vines, and grasses. Cash, credit, and checks accepted. Visit the website, www.scnps.org, in March for updated information and a list of plants available.

Guest Vendors and special exhibits

Guest plant vendors include Carolina Wild, Jeff Miller – Carnivorous plants, Earthen Organics, and Saturnia Farm. Educational exhibits will also be on site, including beekeepers, soil enhancements, books on Native plants and an exotic invasive species public service booth.

Volunteers Needed

Many volunteers are needed to run the sale.  We will train you on the various jobs from moving plants, assisting customers, writing up invoices, holding plants while customers continue to shop, and loading plants into vehicles.  Click on the volunteer form below to see all the ways and times you can help make the sale a success.

To sign up to volunteer, click here!

 

To download a flyer to share with friends and neighbors, click here!

 

 

 

Upstate Spring Native Plant Sale

Upstate Spring Native Plant Sale

April 2 @ 8:30 am – 1:00 pm

NATIVE PLANT SALE

The sale is a large, in-person style again this Spring at Conestee Park, 840 Mauldin Road in Greenville. The date is Saturday, April 2nd from 8:30am to 1pm. Early admission at 8:30am is for members only with the general public admitted at 9am. Knowledgeable advisors will be on the sale floor to assist customers with plant selection.

The sale includes a wide selection of native shrubs, trees, perennial wildflowers, ferns, vines, and grasses. Cash, credit, and checks accepted. Visit the website, www.scnps.org, in March for updated information and a list of plants available.

Guest plant vendors and educational exhibits will also be on site, including beekeepers, soil enhancements, books on Native plants and an exotic invasive species public service booth.

Volunteers are needed to work at the sale on both April 1 and April 2.  Contact Kathy Harrington: [email protected]

 

Save The Date: Upstate Fall Native Plant Sale

Upstate Fall Native Plant Sale 2021
September 18 @ 8:00 am – October 16 @ 5:00 pm

We know from all of the inquiries you’ve sent that interest is running very high for a Fall Native Plant Sale. So (drum roll!), without further ado, we’re announcing the SCNPS Fall Plant sale! These are the important dates to remember:

· September 17th: Volunteer Appreciation Day. Volunteers working the sale get to shop first!

· September 18, 20-23rd: SCNPS members only. Orders open online on the 17th (to be pulled on or after the 18th) and members will be notified when orders can be picked up.

· September 24th-October 16th: Open to all. Orders open online on the 23rd (to bepulled on or after the 24th) and customers will be notified when orders can be picked up.

As you can see, the first day, when all the plants are at their best with the deepest inventory, is set aside for the plant sale volunteers only. This is a new incentive to tempt members to come out and volunteer to work two or more shifts at the sale. Shifts are 4 hours long and training is provided. All you need is a smart phone and a desire to save the Earth one plant at a time.

 

The benefits of fall planting are many:

· Roots, roots, roots! When it comes to a plant’s health, it’s all about the roots. Fall planting gives a plant, tree or shrub plenty of time to develop their root system before the first frost.

· Free watering! One of the best benefits of fall planting is the cool, rainy days for your newly planted beauties.

· Less stress for both you and your new plants. Fall’s cool air provides a nice buffer from the summer heat and it’s easier to plant in cooler air.

· Warm soil. The soil will be warmer in the fall than in the spring. The tops may be getting ready to snooze but the roots will get set up to go through the winter and will come up in the spring ready to go.

So, please mark your calendars and join us for another wonderful Native Plant Society sale at the Upstate Native Nursery. Appointments will be available for on site visits. This will still be a virtual sale with contactless pickup as in the last two sales. You must be a member by September 11th, 2021 in order to qualify for the members only period. Questions? Contact Kathy Harrington at [email protected] or send us an email from the SCNPS website (go to the dropdown menu The Plants) or send to [email protected]

We hope to see orders from all of you. The volunteers have worked very hard all summer to keep the plants in tiptop shape for the Fall sale. Many hours of propagation, germination, potting, pruning, weeding, mowing, maintaining and brainstorming have gone on to make this the best sale ever!

Click here to see all of the plant sale details.

Bradford Pear to be banned in South Carolina!

South Carolina will become only the second state in the United States to ban the sale of Bradford pear trees and any other pear trees grown on the commonly used Pyrus calleryana rootstock.

The ban on sales of Pyrus calleryana — or Callery pear — and three species of Elaeagnus will begin Oct. 1, 2024.

Bradford pears were once touted as sterile, but it turns out that if pollen from any other Pyrus species gets into Bradford pear flowers, the trees can make viable seeds. Those seeds are then eaten by birds and other animals and spread across the Southeastern landscape, contributing directly to one of the worst invasive plant species in the region — the Callery pear.

 

Bradfore pear

Callery pears are an aggressive invasive species with stems and branches possessing large thorns. They can spread by seed or root sprouts and can quickly take over a roadside, old field, pasture, vacant lot, or forest understory.

Does this mean that homeowners have to cut down a Bradford pear tree or remove the Elaeagnus shrub growing on their property? No, but they are encouraged to do so. In fact, Clemson University runs an annual program where residents can obtain a free, native replacement tree in exchange for cutting down their Bradford pear tree. For more details, see the Clemson Bradford Pear Bounty program.

 

The noxious weed shrub Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) has sadly been promoted for “wildlife plantings”.

 

One of the South’s most overplanted trees, per The Southern Living Garden Book.

“I think the impacts of it as it gets out into the natural landscape are pretty evident,” said David Coyle, assistant professor of Forest Health and Invasive Species at Clemson. “Frankly, there are a lot better things that people could put in their yards; there are a lot of good natives they should probably plant instead.”

Not only do Callery pears have nasty thorns that can damage everything from tractor tires to livestock, but they also damage the ecosystem by crowding out native plants while providing little to no food for insects.

The ban on these plants will make them illegal to sell or trade within South Carolina. “There are several ways to attack the problem, and one of those ways is to just stop it from being sold,” Coyle said. “As part of Clemson Extension’s Bradford Pear Bounty program, we’re trying to teach consumers that there are better things to plant and, essentially, teach them not to buy those non-native species. But you can’t reach everyone that way, so we’re trying to come at it from another way and just make it illegal to sell them.”

 

Noxious weeds are weeds that have been designated by an agricultural or other governing authorities as a plant that is injurious to crops, ecosystems, humans or livestock. To read the full news release, visit Clemson News: Invasive Bradford pear, 3 other species to be banned for sale in SC.

To learn about South Carolina’s other listed species, browse the State Plant Pest List.