If it's spring, there's a plant sale

Ringwood — It’s New Jersey Botanical Garden Plant Sale time again, a delightful must-do on every gardener’s list this spring. This year’s sale, on Saturday and Sunday, May 1 and 2, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature a generous array of lush perennials, colorful annuals, robust hanging baskets, tasty vegetables and herbs, as well as dwarf and full-size trees and shrubs. Admission is free. Parking is also free in the spring and during the plant sale. The plant sale is held in and around the historic Carriage House Visitor Center on the grounds of the New Jersey State Botanical Garden in Ringwood State Park. Visitors flock to this sale not only for the great plants, but also to see the garden’s lovely formal plantings, extensive historical statuary and world-class collection of mature tree specimens. On Friday, April 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., NJBG members will be treated to the plant sale preview party, an exclusive wine-and-cheese reception during which many of the choicest plants are traditionally sold. Non-member visitors to the Friday night preview may participate by becoming members at the gate. Master gardeners and volunteers from the NJBG/Skylands Association — a member-supported non-profit organization that works with the state to preserve and protect the garden and its historic structures — will be on hand to answer questions and help shoppers make selections. Membership in NJBG/Skylands Association includes admission and benefits at numerous gardens and arboreta in the United States, discounts in the gift shop, use of the reference library, volunteer opportunities, a quarterly journal, guest passes for Manor House tours, and more. Individual memberships are $30 per year; $50 for families/dual members; and $20 for seniors/students. NJBG/Skylands is located on Morris Road in Ringwood, N.J. For a calendar of events, membership brochure, directions or more information, please call 973-962-9534 or visit www.njbg.org.