Now that You've Ordered Plants ~

It's Time to Sign Up for the 2010 Lecture and Learn Series & Make the Most of Your Purchases

Lectures run from March 26 through April 16, and the Annual Spring Landscape Conference is Monday, March 15 (snow date Friday, March 19). The lectures and conference are suitable for all levels of participants. But, the great news is if you are a Landscape Architect or Designer in need of Professional Development Hours (PDHs), they are available.

Lastly, we've made the Registration process a bit easier for sign up with pay online.

2010 Native Plant Center Steering Committee: Brooke Beebe, Jan Blaire, Laura Blau, Cynthia Brennan, Myles Brown, Bob Del Torto, Kim Eierman, Cece Fabbro (Chair), Barbara Fischer, Leslie Henshaw, Pat Keesee, Ursula LaMotte, Guy Pardee, Brad Roeller, Heather Sandifer, Denise C.R. Santomero, Betsy Stern, Carolyn Summers, Phillis Warden, Neil Wattles, Lucille Werlinich.

Today's Committee Member:

Ursula LaMotte was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 1995 and served for 6 terms. She was the Chair of the Committee on Technology and was a member of the Budget and Appropriations, Environment, Energy, Families and Education Committees. Prior to serving as a County Legislator, she was appointed by the County Executive in 1988 to the Westchester County Planning Board and was appointed by the Governor in 1989 to the State Conservation Corps. She was the Bedford Town Supervisor from 1984 to 1987 and also served two terms as Bedford Town Councilwoman. An expert on environmental issues, Ursula is currently a member of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation and previously served on the Pound Ridge Conservation Board. Ursula has a long and distinguished record of community service. She has served on the Board of the Visiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley and as President and 1st Vice-President of the United Way of Northern Westchester. She is a Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester, the Children's Aid Society of New York, Friends of John Jay Homestead and serves on the President's Council of the Northern Westchester Hospital. Ursula has been a resident of Westchester County for 47 years. She has lived in Bedford for the past 37 years and prior to that she lived Pound Ridge for 10 years. She is married with three grown children and six grandsons. She attended Smith College, earned a BA degree in history from Pace University and is a Member of the History Honor Society.

2010 Pre-Sale Comes to a Close ~
Great Response Received!

This year's Pre-Sale is the most successful ever! If you placed your order, you should have received an e-mail confirmation by now. If you have not, contact me at wcc.nativeplantcenter@sunywcc.edu and I'll check into it.

Thanks to all of you that ordered this year. The Plant Sale is our Spring fundraiser, and your participation is greatly appreciated!!

If you didn't get a chance to order ahead in the Pre-Sale, you'll have another chance to buy native at the Regular Sale. This year's Wildflower and Native Plant Sale is being held on Saturday, April 24th.

You may also be interested in meeting Carolyn Summers on Sale Day. As Chair of the Plant Sale, she has done a fabulous job researching and ordering native plants for us. Carolyn's new book, Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East, is being released this Spring. Order your copy today. She'll also be speaking at a lecture on April 16th Designing Your Garden with Northeastern Flora: A Personal View. Be sure to attend this lecture. It may be especially helpful to you if you want a better perspective on what plants to buy at the Plant Sale. To learn more about Carolyn's expertise in the field, read her bio below.

2010 Native Plant Center Steering Committee: Brooke Beebe, Jan Blaire, Laura Blau, Cynthia Brennan, Myles Brown, Bob Del Torto, Kim Eierman, Cece Fabbro (Chair), Barbara Fischer, Leslie Henshaw, Pat Keesee, Ursula LaMotte, Guy Pardee, Brad Roeller, Heather Sandifer, Denise C.R. Santomero, Betsy Stern, Carolyn Summers, Phillis Warden, Neil Wattles, Lucille Werlinich. Today's Steering Committee Member

Today's Committee Member:
Carolyn Summers is an adjunct professor for Continuing Education at Westchester Community College and a technical assistant to The Native Plant Center. She holds a Landscape Architecture degree from City College of New York and works with government and non-government organizations on environmental/landscape projects. Carolyn maintains native plant demonstration gardens that she has created on her two family properties. Her first book hits the shelves in April.

Pre-Sale Orders are Still Piling In!

Due to the blizzard, our mail was held up. So, this morning I just received over 30 plant orders!!

There's going to be some great color around the County this Spring. Not only are individuals ordering plants, but so are schools for their demonstration gardens.

2010 Native Plant Center Steering Committee: Brooke Beebe, Jan Blaire, Laura Blau, Cynthia Brennan, Myles Brown, Bob Del Torto, Kim Eierman, Cece Fabbro (Chair), Barbara Fischer, Leslie Henshaw, Pat Keesee, Ursula LaMotte, Guy Pardee, Brad Roeller, Heather Sandifer, Denise C.R. Santomero, Betsy Stern, Carolyn Summers, Phillis Warden, Neil Wattles, Lucille Werlinich. Today's Steering Committee Member

Today's Committee Member:
Brad Roeller is Manager of Outdoor Gardens at the New York Botanical Garden. A 1973 graduate of Cornell University; B.S. in Environmental Conservation.

His work experience includes: 1973 to 2009 worked at the Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum of the New York Botanical Garden. From 1984 to 2009 served as Manager of Grounds, Display Gardens & Visitation at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (formerly Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum). July 2010 until present, Manager of Outdoor Gardens at the New York Botanical Garden.

Areas of interest: Low maintenance perennials; investigating and evaluating environmentally sound gardening and landscaping practices; testing a wide range of landscape plants for Northern gardens; gardening with native plants; deer resistant plants and methods of minimizing deer damage; ecologically-driven and sustainable landscaping.

Supplemental information:

Brad has been a featured speaker at many large industry forums. He has presented at New England Grows annual conferences; the Perennial Plant Association’s annual meetings; UConn’s Perennial Plant Conferences; Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists annual meeting; NYS Turf & Landscape Association annual conferences; UMaine’s annual Garden Day conferences; NYS Turf & Landscape Association annual meetings; Empire State Green Industry Shows annual conferences; and Northeast Organic Farming Association annual conferences.

Brad’s broad body of horticultural work and knowledge has made him one of the most popular lecturers with regional garden clubs. He has been a featured speaker at several GCA and Federated Garden Clubs zone conferences.

Brad has been published in several magazines including Fine Gardening and Audubon, as well as dozens of newspapers, including the NY times and the Wall Street Journal, and other periodicals.

Brad has been an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden for over 25 years; the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies since it’s inception in 1983; and the Berkshire Botanical Garden for the past several years. He has participated in numerous professional forums, especially with his work with whitetail deer, organic landscape care, landscaping with native plants and his life-long work with perennials and trees and shrubs.

Pre-Sale Winding Down ~
Orders Being Accepted Until Next Week

Due to Wednesday's blizzard, the Pre-Sale deadline has been extended. Be sure to mail in your orders by Monday, February 15.

2010 Native Plant Center Steering Committee: Brooke Beebe, Jan Blaire, Laura Blau, Cynthia Brennan, Myles Brown, Bob Del Torto, Kim Eierman, Cece Fabbro (Chair), Barbara Fischer, Leslie Henshaw, Pat Keesee, Ursula LaMotte, Guy Pardee, Brad Roeller, Heather Sandifer, Denise C.R. Santomero, Betsy Stern, Carolyn Summers, Phillis Warden, Neil Wattles, Lucille Werlinich.

Today's Steering Committee Member

Brooke Beebe retired in 2008 from her position as the first Director of The Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. In November, 2009, she joined Teatown Lake Reservation’s Board of Trustees. She is a member of Briarcliff Manor’s Conservation Advisory Council as well as ELLA (Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance). In June, 2009, she was awarded the 2009 Conservation Award from the Rusticus Garden Club in Bedford, NY.

In addition to her conservation work, she has written two books for parents, Best Bets for Babies and Tips for Toddlers, and has created many educational media products for The Society for Visual Education and McGraw-Hill Films. She lives with her husband Tyler in Briarcliff Manor, New York.

Snow Got You Down?!

Not To Worry ~
Pre-Sale Order Deadline Extended

Yes, as you might have guessed the office is closed today. But, that's good news for you if you're ordering from the Pre-Sale.

The order deadline has been extended to Monday, February 15.

The fax is turned on, and I left plenty of paper in it yesterday.
The number is (914) 606-6143.

If you prefer to mail the order send it to:

The NPC at WCC Library

75 Grasslands Road

Valhalla, NY 10595

Check out our other events, we have lots planned for the Spring.

If you're in the mood to travel, join us in May for a Garden Tour of Washington, DC

Have you had a chance to read the current NPC Newsletter?

Annual Landscape Conference ~ Monday, March 15 (Snow Date ~ Friday, March 19).

The Words Getting Out!!
Natives are the Best Pick

What has been most interesting about this year's Pre-sale is the customers. There are quite a few new names from all over the county. So, it's safe to say, the words getting out there! It just may be that more and more natives are popping up in the landscape, and their beauty is attracting a new audience. I know I've begun to see a lot more wildflowers since our Sale began in 1999.

Did You Know:
The NPC received an award for Best Plant Value from the Best of Westchester Magazine.

2010 Native Plant Center Steering Committee:
Brooke Beebe, Jan Blaire, Laura Blau, Cynthia Brennan, Myles Brown, Bob Del Torto, Kim Eierman, Cece Fabbro (Chair), Barbara Fischer, Leslie Henshaw, Pat Keesee, Ursula LaMotte, Guy Pardee, Brad Roeller, Heather Sandifer, Denise C.R. Santomero, Betsy Stern, Carolyn Summers, Phillis Warden, Neil Wattles, Lucille Werlinich.

Today's Steering Committee Member

My interest for trees has directly influenced all aspects of my life, both in career and leisure activities. I have been performing arboriculture for nearly 30 years in multiple facets of the industry. I hold certifications as an ISA arborist, ISA utility vegetation specialist, Cornell Municipal Tree Stewart as well as being DEC certified pesticide applicator for turf and ornamentals. Which when given the opportunity, I have applied to educating not only clients, but the public as well in the value that trees bring to our futures. The times that I am not promoting the health of our urban forests, I can be found crossing a mountain peak or camped in some forgotten stretch of river valley. Whether it be karma or destiny my introduction into tree care began with my name which translated means "guardian of the forest."

Guy Pardee
Arborist Representative
The Care of Trees®
57 Valley Avenue
Elmsford, NY 10523
Phone #: 914-345-8733Fax #: 914-345-3340
http://www.thecareoftrees.com/

Serving Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and
Washington, D.C.

Our Business is People and Their Love For Trees ®

The Phone is Ringing off the Wall . . .

Well, it's been an exciting weekend around here ~ The NPC website got 413 visits! I came into a fax full of orders, the mailbox was full too, and people are using the new pay online feature. As I type this blog, the lines continue to ring!

We seem to have a lot of people interested in the Plant Pre-Sale and lectures this Spring. Not that I'm surprised, native plants are a hot topic, and well worth the investment, not only to your property value, but also to the environment. I hope to hear from a lot more of you.

I thought some of you may need clarification on the Annual Plant Sale, so here it is . . .

The Native Plant Sale is held in 2 parts ~
Pre-Sale and Regular Sale:

Pre-Sale (order now and pick up plants between April 20 -24)

Regular Sale is held for 1 day on April 24














You do not have to be a member to participate. However, NPC members receive a discount on Pre-Sale orders, and enter the Regular Sale early.




Question of the Day:


Question for the Garden Guru:
I have a lot of areas in my yard that have dry soil and are underneath Oaks and Maples. I have been successful with lily of the valley and white wood aster. What other native plants would you suggest that I try to plant?


ANSWER:
Dear Shady Lady,

You are off to a good start with those two selections and the good news for you is that there are lots of other native plants that will also grow well in dry shade. Please keep in mind that regardless of their ability to survive dry environmental conditions, new additions in this area of your garden will need to be well-watered through their first growing season. In later years give them an occasional drink during periods of severe heat and/or drought. Remember that soil amendment and mulching goes a long way in keeping all of your plants healthy and happy during dry periods.

Here are a few to consider, some of which may surprise you:
Anemone (Hepatica) acutiloba – sharpleaf hepatica
Anemone (Hepatica) rotundiloba – roundleaf hepatica
Aquilegia canadensis – columbine
Athyrium felix-femina – lady fern
Carex pennsylvanica – Pennsylvania sedge
Comptonia peregrina - sweetfern
Dennstaedtia punctiloba – hay-scented fern
Dicentra cucullaria – Dutchman’s breeches
Dicentra eximia – wild bleeding heart
Dryopteris intermedia – interrupted fern
Dryopteris novebaoracensis – New York Fern
Erythronium americanum – trout lily
Eupatorium rugosum – white snakeroot
Fragaria virginiana – woodland strawberry
Gaultheria procumbens - wintergreen
Gillenia trifoliata – bowman’s root
Heuchera americana – common alumroot
Hexastylis (Asarum) shuttleworthii – evergreen wild ginger
Ilex opaca – American holly
Iris cristata – crested iris
Kalmia latifolia – mountain laurel
Magnolia virginiana – sweetbay magnolia
Maianthemum canadense – Canada mayflower
Maianthemum (Smilacina) racemosa – false Solomon’s seal
Mertensia virginica – Virginia bluebells
Morella pennsylvanica – bayberry
Onoclea sensibilis – sensitive fern
Ostrya virginiana – American hop hornbeam
Oxydendron arboreum – sourwood
Pachysandra procumbens – Allegheny spurge
Parthenocissus quinquefolia – Virginia creeper
Phlox divaricata – woodland phlox
Podophyllum peltatum - mayapple
Polygonatum canaliculatum – Solomon’s seal
Polystichum acrostichoides – Christmas fern
Polystichum goldiana – Goldie’s fern
Sanguinaria canadensis - bloodroot
Sedum ternatum – wild stonecrop
Solidago caesia – wreath goldenrod
Symphotrichum (Aster) acuminatus – whorled aster
Symphotrichum (Aster) macrophyllus – blue wood aster
Vaccinium angustifolium – lowbush blueberry
Viola anadensis – Canada violet
Waldstenia fragaroides – barren strawberry
Woodwardia areolata – netted chain fern



If you have garden questions please forward them to me, at wccnativeplant@sunywcc.edu and I'll get you an answer.