GRAFTON — The Nature Museum at Grafton has expanded the varieties of plants available this year at its annual tree and shrub sale, and has extended the deadline for ordering to March 15.
In addition to this year's offerings of alternate-leaf dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) and common sweet shrub (Calycanthus floridus), the museum will bring back last year's selections of shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis) and winterberry (Ilex verticillata). These four will also be available next year, with the addition of two new varieties to be determined.
Many gorgeous native trees and shrubs have been bypassed by the nursery industry in favor of “exotics,” but exotics do not feed birds, insects, and other wildlife as successfully as natives do.
Native species are rarely invasive, they tend to be low-maintenance, and they add healthy biological diversity to the region.
The sale works like this: you place an order ahead of time and then take delivery in the spring.
Gift cards are available, and the purchaser or the recipient may pick the plant up in the spring with complete instructions for planting.
The museum selects plants based on four-season interest, hardiness to this area, wildlife value, and, of course, beauty.
Alternate-leaf dogwood features graceful architecture and creamy flowers, the calycanthus offers fragrant burgundy flowers and unusual fruit, shadbush is known for its early spring show and edible fruit, and winterberry for its spectacular winter display of scarlet berries.
Visit www.nature-museum.org for more details of these plants' benefits and cultural requirements.
Prices range from $35 to $50. Proceeds support the Museum's educational programming and signature events like the Pale Blue Dot, a new program designed to help “engage people to think about their relationship to the natural world and its resources,” according to the museum's website.
Supplies are limited. For more information, call the museum at 802-843-2111, or visit www.nature-museum.org.