10:56 a.m. Thursday, October 8, 2009

Nurture plant passion at sale

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By C.W. Cameron

For the AJC

The corner lot of Virginia-Highland gardener Rob Glancy is tightly planted with a host of interesting specimens.

Caroline Tsuji, for the AJC Trees Atlanta volunteer David Knox assists a happy customer.

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“I am a tree and plant fanatic, no doubt about it,” Glancy said. “If there is a chance of growing something unusual or native in Atlanta, I will try.”

He points out a tall stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha) that brightens early summer with small white-cupped blossoms and offers striking purple fall color.

Over in Oakhurst, Chad Dittmer looks out at the host of unusual trees he’s planted on his lot. Cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus) and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) are all thriving, growing up to provide shade, fall color, interesting textures and screening around his home.

The trees these two gardeners are admiring were all purchased at past Trees Atlanta plant sales.

And where will these two gentlemen be Saturday? They’ll be shopping again, browsing through the 1,000 plants for sale at the 10th annual Trees Atlanta plant sale.

The sale has established itself as the place to be if you know plants, are interested in plants or just want to get to improve the landscape around your home with trees and shrubs that do well in the Atlanta area.

“Nowhere else in the Southeast are you going to find such a comprehensive selection,” Glancy said.

Trees Atlanta’s Greg Levine is in charge of that selection.

This year’s sale includes about 200 varieties of plants, including native trees as well as a few exotic, noninvasive species.

In addition to large shade trees, the sale features patio-size trees like Styrax americanus, American snowbell, which can be hard to find in local nurseries but works well in smaller urban gardens.

The sale doesn’t just focus on trees but offers companion plants that help round out a garden.

“People like vines, but there are so many like wisteria, akebia and honeysuckle that are aggressive and invasive. We offer only the tree-friendly ones like crossvine,” Levine said.

Perennials make a show at the sale, too, including a Carolina climbing aster and several kinds of clematis.

The elderberries and blueberries for sale provide cover and food for bird habitat. Native shrubs like fothergilla and oakleaf hydrangea help round out the plant sale list.

Dittmer has added native azaleas, deciduous hollies and bottlebrush buckeye to his garden through past purchases at the sale.

“Everything I’ve bought has done well. That’s one of the reasons I keep going back,” he said.

If you have questions, there’ll be plenty of help. Trees Atlanta staff, area landscape architects and John Manion, curator of the Atlanta History Center’s gardens, will be on hand to help guide your purchase.

EVENT

Trees Atlanta plant sale

8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center, 225 Chester Ave. Preview shopping for donors of $500 or more is 4-6 p.m. Friday. The sale benefits Trees Atlanta’s NeighborWoods tree planting program. 404-522-4097, Trees Atlanta.