Gardens' Fall Plant Sale set for this weekend
Fred Spicer fondly remembers beautiful orange and black butterflies fluttering around his garden. The days when he would see them have long gone, and he worries about the disappearance of the most studied butterfly in the world.
“These are amazing tiny, little animals. They fly from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Canada every year,” said Spicer, executive director of Birmingham Botanical Gardens. “Populations are crashing. It’s a concern.”
Birmingham Botanical Gardens is offering a way for local residents to ensure that these monarch butterflies, whose population has decreased by more than 80 percent in the last year, do not completely disappear. Local plant lovers are invited to help this endangered species by buying butterfly-friendly plants at the two-day Birmingham Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Sale at Blount Plaza.
“I always stress to people it’s important to identify what’s eating their plants,” Spicer said.
This year, the Native Plant Group, one of the Gardens’ many volunteer groups involved in the sale, took a unique approach to nurturing plants that attract the monarch butterfly. During the summer months, the group nurtured 400 milkweed plants, which are what monarch larvae eat to survive, and sold many in a two-day presale.
The remaining selection will be available at this year’s sale along with various herbs, trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables, all selected to thrive in Birmingham’s climate and conditions. Spicer describes a relaxed atmosphere where knowledgeable plant sellers share advice and friendly conversation.
“You’ll find good people here,” Spicer said. “Whatever plant or herb they’re selling, they’ve grown it. They know all about it.”
The Spring and Fall Plant Sales are the two largest fundraisers for Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The Native Plant Group meets weekly to produce the native plants sold at the events, and proceeds go to support the Gardens’ educational programs that foster an appreciation of plants and the environment.
This year, the focus is on the butterfly. Spicer sees that attracting butterflies to gardens offers more than just an enchanting sight. Butterflies are pollinators that can help with fertilization and, eventually, seed production.
“Buying plants that are butterfly friendly will put food on your table,” Spicer said. “It will make your garden more successful.”
Fall Plant Sale
Saturday, Oct. 19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 20, noon-4 p.m.
Blount Plaza, Birmingham Botanical Gardens