'Under the Tent' Plant Sale is a sure sign of spring
A line is expected to form Friday morning at Lisle's Morton Arboretum, a line full of green thumbs and practiced shoppers waiting for that first true sign of spring's arrival: the annual Arbor Day "Under the Tent" Plant Sale.
Available only to arboretum members Friday and Saturday, the sale opens to the general public Sunday. Those who become members during Arbor Day weekend get a $5 discount and the right to proceed directly to the plant sale.
The sale is part of the arboretum's Arbor Week celebration.
Kris Bachtell, director of collections and grounds, likens the event to the rush of brides unleashed at a Filene's Basement wedding gown sale.
What's the draw?
"We have over 300 types of plants," said Bachtell.
There are seedlings and cuttings grown in nurseries and at the arboretum, as well as nursery plants that are nearly fully grown.
And the selection, he said, is unlike the choices available through other plant-sellers.
"We try to get things that are really new, underutilized and not easily found in a nursery," he said.
Examples include yellow flowering magnolias and the Louisa crabapple, a weeping tree that's smaller than a willow and more disease-resistant than most crabapple trees, he said.
Shoppers also will find redbuds, a small tree from Minnesota, and shrubs, such as the oak leaf hydrangea.
The giant sales tent also will shelter a selection of what some plant experts are calling "step-ables," or "step-tolerant" plants.
"It's very low herbaceous plants that can take occasional foot traffic," Bachtell said, adding that ground cover plants such as sedum or thyme make good choices for planting between steps along garden pathways.
Bachtell said plant sale customers typically buy lots of shrubs and zero in on colorful plants.
"We sell five shrubs for every tree. People don't have as much space for trees," he said. "Ornamental grasses sell pretty well."
Bachtell said he and other arboretum staff members will be at the sale to answer questions and assist with garden planning.
He said the sale is one of the arboretum's most effective community outreach programs.
"It's one of our best connections to people and our mission," he said.
If you go
What: Arbor Day "Under-the-Tent" Plant Sale
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; members only from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Cost: Free with admission
Info: (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org