Gardening notebook: Native plant nursery, plant sale, garden stewards and more
Posted on: May 3, 2019 | Written By: Everybody Gardens |
With gardening season about to go into full swing, here are a couple of gardening notesthat could prove beneficial to you.
Native Plant Nursery
National Audubon Society
A ruby-throated hummingbird visits the flowers of bee balm.
By now, you should know the importance of native plants that attract beneficial bugs, butterflies and birds. And the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is making it easier to add those natives to your garden with its Native Plant Nursery.
The nursery will open from 9 a.m. to 5 pm. on May 4 at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, with special discounts available on opening day. There will be special bundles of plants that can help attract monarch butterflies and hummingbirds, and staff members will help you choose the plants best for your garden.
The nursery, located at 614 Dorseyville Rod in Fox Chapel, will be open whenever the Audubon Nature Store is open. For more details, check out the local Audubon Society’s website.
Angora Gardens plant sale
Angora Gardens will host its annual plant sale and craft show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 11.
The sale will feature annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs. The greenhouse-grown plants were started thanks to donations from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Burpee, John Scheepers, Grow Pittsburgh and Everybody Gardens.
Angora Gardens is located at 3 Muse Lane in White Oak. To learn more about Angora Gardens and its mission, check out this story from Everybody Gardens editor Doug Oster.
Community garden stewards
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is seeking volunteers to be community garden stewards at several locations in the Pittsburgh area. Volunteers are needed for Beechview, Beltzhoover, Downtown Pittsburgh, Highland Park, McKeesport, Ross Township and Troy Hill. Regionally, they’re also looking for stewards in Connellsville, Farrell and State College.
The WPC has a number of volunteer opportunities for its 130 community flower gardens. More information is available on the WPC’s website.
PRC workshops
The Pennsylvania Resources Council is offering workshops with focuses on backyard composting as well as rain barrels/watershed awareness.
The backyard composting workshops will show you how to turn your kitchen scraps and yard waste into a valuable resource for your garden.
The cost is $70 per person or $75 per couple. Participants will receive an 82-gallon FreeGarden Earth compost bin. Pre-registration is required.
Upcoming dates include:
- May 18 (4 to 5:30 p.m.) Ross Township Community Center
- May 21 (7 to 8:30 p.m.) Mt. Lebanon Library
- June 11 (6:30 to 8 p.m.) North Park Rose Barn
- June 13 (7 to 8:30 p.m.) Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
This rain barrel workshops will show how to install a 55-gallon rain barrel, demonstrate other rainwater harvesting options and educate about watershed issues.
The cost is $80 per person or $85 per couple. Participants will receive an 55-gallon FreeGarden rain barrel. Pre-registration is required.
Upcoming dates include:
- May 11 (10:30 a.m. to noon) Lauri Ann West Community Center, O’Hara Township
- May 16 (7 to 8:30 p.m.) Mt. Lebanon Library
- June 4 (6:30 to 8 p.m.) North Park Rose Barn
- June 6 (7 to 8:30 p.m.) Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Chemical collection
It’s important to keep our environment clean, and that includes not dumping unneeded chemicals into landfills. With that in mind, the Pennsylvania Resources Council will host a number of household chemical collection events.
The first one takes place on May 4 at North Park, with other collections running through October.
Other dates include:
- May 18: Cambria County (Concurrent Technologies Corporation)
- June 22: Fayette County (Fairgrounds)
- July 20: Washington County (Wild Things Park)
- Aug. 17: Allegheny County (Boyce Park)
- Sept. 21: Allegheny County (South Park)
- Oct. 12: Beaver County (Bradys Run Park)
Check out the PRC website for more information on costs and a list of chemicals that will be accepted.
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