The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum will hold its annual Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, October 8, from noon to 4 p.m. The sale will take place at the Arboretum's Eucalyptus Grove on High Street near the intersection with Western Drive.
For gardeners on the Central Coast, fall is always a good time to get new plants established. The Arboretum offers a wide range of plant selections, including drought-tolerant plants from Australia and South Africa, as well as California natives. Knowledgeable Arboretum staff and volunteers will be on hand at the sale to answer questions.
Among the new plants available this year is featherhead (Phylica pubescens), an attractive and unusual South African shrub with soft, golden foliage. The narrow leaves are covered with hairs, and feathery bracts surround the flowerheads at the tip of each branch. The whole bush appears to glow when its golden hairs catch the sunlight.
Another stunning plant available this year is swamp bottlebrush (Beaufortia sparsa) from Western Australia. This large shrub sports colorful, bright-orange flower clusters that are attractive to birds.
The sale will also feature several attractive cultivars of Correa, known as Australian fuchsias. A new variety with pink flowers, called 'Western Pink Star', is available this year. Some of the Australian fuchsias are good winter bloomers, and most will bloom well under oak trees.
A complete list of the plants available at the sale will be posted on the Arboretum's web site by October 1.
The Arboretum's sale is held in conjunction with the fall plant sale of the California Native Plant Society. Both sales are open early (from 10 a.m. to noon) to members of the Arboretum Associates and the California Native Plant Society, and to the general public from noon to 4 p.m. Arboretum memberships will be available at the gate on the day of the sale.
For more information about the sale, contact the UCSC Arboretum at (831) 427-2998. The Arboretum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Norrie's Gifts is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
