Hosta sale to benefit Heifer International

A hosta sale and fundraiser will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at Rich’s Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc., 11618 McConnell Road, Woodstock. The event is sponsored by Rich and Susan Eyre. All proceeds will benefit Heifer International and Mano a Mano International Partners. For details, call (815) 338-7442 or email coniflora@richsfoxwillowpines.com.

The sale has several hundred varieties of hostas for sale to benefit Heifer International. All hostas are $5 and up, cash or check only.

Heifer International is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization dedicated to ending world hunger and poverty and caring for the earth. It provides livestock, trees, training, and other resources to help struggling families build sustainable futures. The recipients of the animals must pass on the gift of the first female offspring and training in environmentally sound agriculture to another family in need. In this manner, an endless cycle of transformation is set in motion as recipients become equal partners in ending poverty and hunger. Heifer International has provided food and income-producing animals to more than 8.5 million impoverished families in 125 countries in the last 67 years. Visit www.heifer.org.

Rich Eyre worked with this organization in the Peace Corps 44 years ago in Bolivia and he can give testimony to its positive effects in those communities. Rich and Susan Eyre served six years on the board of trustees of the Heifer Foundation.

Rich’s mother, Margaret Eyre, spent every summer under the willow tree dividing hostas. Although she has not been able to work in the hosta patch the last two years, her volunteers refused to let Margaret’s legacy diminish. Ed Slomski and Mike Krause coordinate volunteers to help divide and sell the hostas. Volunteers will be available to answer any questions about Heifer International on the day of the sale. Refreshments will be served.

There also will be an arts and crafts fundraiser for Mano a Mano International Partners, which raises money to build hospitals, schools, roads, and irrigation projects in rural Bolivia. There will be a variety of items for sale. Mano a Mano was originated by a fellow Peace Corps volunteer Joan Velasquez and her husband Segundo. In 2008, she won the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service, which is awarded to a returning Peace Corps volunteer. For details, visit www.manoamano.org.

At 11 a.m., Rich Eyre will present “Conifers for the Shade Garden.” The palette of plants is limited for less light. Deep shade is very difficult to deal with and wet shade plants are scarce. This garden lecture will emphasize hemlocks, yews, shrubs, and perennials needed for low light settings. Japanese maples and ginkgo cultivars weave a tapestry of color with hostas and a spectrum of other shade tolerant plants. Rich will discuss plants suitable for deep shade, filtered shade, and limited sun scenarios.

At 1 p.m., take a walk to see plants that love shade. Tour the nursery with Rich and learn what conifers and plants grow in the shade.