Midlands Spring 2023 Native Plant Sale

 

 

Come find the native plants that feed pollinators and birds, and bring some nature home! Shrubs, perennials, grasses, and vines are selected to thrive in the Midlands.

 Get the plant list here. Prices range $3-$20. Pay with cash or credit. BYO wagon is ok.

In addition to our sale plants, two local vendors will be here: Sal’s Old Timey Feed & Seed and Native Plants to the People. Chapter member Clay Parker has grown a variety of milkweed species (and more) just for the sale. There will be a great selection for a variety of soil and sun conditions!

It’ll be a festival atmosphere with food, art, and books for sale! Read more below.

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 (MAP)

Food, Art, Books, Birds

Get a bite to eat from The Wurst Wagen. Find plant-based art from Candace Thibeault. Buy a native plant book from Columbia’s independent shop, All Good Books. Get a bluebird house and conservation info from Columbia Audubon Society.

Volunteers Needed

Set up on Friday, April 14 and during the sale!
Volunteers can purchase plants early. Contact mnpsplantsale@gmail.com 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.

Field Trip to Station Cove Falls

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Saturday, March 23  8am to 2pm     Leaders:  Rick Huffman and Dan Whitten

Join Rick and Dan on this 3/4 mile easy trek into Sumpter National Forest.  Station Cove Falls is the premier cove forest habitat in the Upstate to see Spring ephemerals. such at Trilliums, Mayapples, and much more.  A grand reward at the trail’s end is Station Cove Falls!

Rick Huffman says,

“Station Cove Falls (also called Oconee Station Falls) is an ancient, timeless place where geology and plate tectonics have shaped and formed this land into what we see today.  Each year the pilgrimage begins early in February and March to see the promise of a rich bounty of botanical treasures.

Few realize how botanically old this place is or understand the role of amphibolite (Mineral) plays in making this a botanical wonderland. Some have said it’s the best Cove Forest habitat on the Eastern Seaboard, some in authority have claimed this place to be the most ancient place for plants on the planet.  From Blood Root, Trilliums, Mayapple, Violets, Rue Anemone, Hepatica and wood betony, we find ourselves in reverence of this place. We find salvation from our urban hectic lives and we feel at home. I have called this place ‘The Church’. It’s where I go to find that peace, that serenity, the sense of promise and renewal.  The SCNPS has long held this place sacred and we go there on March 23rd to experience the wonders of creation and of time and place. Joins us as we make the journey back in time to find our peace today.”

You don’t want to miss this trip!!  The outing will also include a excursion along the Estatoe at Nine Times Nature Preserve to view many more spring wildflowers.

Meet at 8am at Holly Springs Store, 6491 SC-11, Pickens, SC 29671, at the intersection of Hwy. 11 and SC 178.   Bring water, lunch/snacks and dress in field clothing and hiking or sturdy walking shoes.  A hiking stick is optional.

To sign up contact Rick Huffman at : <rick_huffman@earthde-signsc.com>or call (864) 901-7583.  Please include a cell phone number for last minute information.  Please include the number in your party, whether or not you are willing to be a driver for carpooling, and how many riders you could accommodate.