Sept. 3 Column: Friends of Manito Plant Sale

Friends of Manito, coneflowers
Friends of Manito, hydrangea Mini Mauvette

The Friends of Manito will be holding their fall plant sale and it’s time to organize our plant shopping lists! My garden column is a preview of the sale. That way, you’ll know what to expect. In it, I highlight five wonderful plants that will be available. Here is a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Colorful options at annual plant sale.

Or you can read my column below. Don’t miss this week’s video underneath it!

Column:

The arrival of September means three things. Kids are headed back to school. We can expect beautiful days and cooler nights. And — most importantly of all — gardeners will be flocking to the Friends of Manito fall plant sale. It is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 9, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.. The sale will be located just east of the Gaiser Conservatory in Spokane’s Manito Park.

Plant sale manager Janis Saiki is very choosy when it comes to the plants she and her dedicated volunteers offer.

“All of the plants I order have outstanding attributes. They should flourish in this area, and be stand-out performers,” she explained. “Some have dramatic and colorful foliage, while others have or multiple seasons of interest. Other features include long-blooming, xeric (drought-tolerant) or deer-resistant. I look for pest- and disease-resistance and investigate unusual plants not commonly found.”

Here are Janis Saiki’s recommendations for five wonderful plants:

  • Coreopsis Cruizin’ Broad Street _ “It is a powerhouse bloomer with bright, rich, burnt-red flowers. It never gets powdery mildew or becomes a nuisance self-seeder.” Attributes: 18 inches tall, hardy down to USDA zone 5, full sun, attracts pollinators and deer-resistant.
  • Hibiscus Summerific Perfect Storm _ “Bronze foliage along 3-foot stems and dinner plate-sized white flowers with prominent red centers and venation.” Attributes: 3 feet tall by 5 feet wide, full sun, hardy to zone 4 and attracts pollinators.
  • Hydrangea Mini Mauvette _ “A dwarf form with mauve, mophead bloom clusters on the current year’s growth.” Attributes: 2.5 feet tall by 3 feet wide, hardy to zone 3, part to full sun. Also dried flowers that provide winter interest.
  • Penstemon Blackbeard _ “Luscious purple/burgundy foliage with mauve to lavender flowers and burgundy seedpods.” Attributes: 30 inches tall, full sun, hardy to zone 3. In addition, they attract pollinators and hummingbirds, and are drought-tolerant and deer-resistant.
  • Penstemon Cherry Sparks _ “It is long-blooming with large, rich red tubular flowers. This flower is spectacular in person!” Attributes: 20 inches tall, full sun, hardy to zone 5. It also attracts pollinators and hummingbirds, and is drought-tolerant and deer-resistant.

Garden-in-a-Box

“Garden-in-a-Box,” which was a big hit at the last two plant sales, will be available again. There are three theme options — a hummingbird garden, xeric garden and winter interest garden. All were created by Saiki, who has been a landscape designer for 19 years.

“The Garden-in-a-Box designs are hugely popular,” she said. “It is the easiest way to have a gorgeous landscape. The plants are high quality, sure to thrive in the Spokane area if given the right cultural requirements. They are all perennial and hardy to at least zone 5.”

Those interested can view the designs on the Friends of Manito website, thefriendsofmanito.org. Then order online and pick up the plants at the sale. Additional boxes will be available the day of the sale as well.

Along with kids activities and live music, the Animal Nature Sanctuary will be on hand. This is a rescue service for a wide variety of animals. Anyone who donates pet supplies will receive a free one-gallon perennial plant. The 2018 calendar featuring beautiful photographs of Manito Park will be available as well.

All proceeds from the plant sale will benefit Manito Park. Members of the Friends of Manito will receive 10 percent off their plant purchases. New members can join during the sale.

Susan Mulvihill is co-author of “Northwest Gardener’s Handbook” with Pat Munts. Contact her at Susan@susansinthegarden.com. Watch this week’s “Everyone Can Grow A Garden” video at  youtube.com/c/susansinthegarden.

This week’s video:

Now, since we’re talking about buying and planting perennials, I decided the topic for this week’s “Everyone Can Grow A Garden!” video should be on planting perennials in the fall. Here it is: