Spring Affair Newsletter
Educational Programs
Volunteer sign-up information will be available in February 2010.
Spring Affair Plant Sale
Saturday, April 24, 2010, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
(Spring Affair Preview Party is Friday, April 23 from 5-9p.m. at Lancaster Event Center, 84th and Havelock in Lincoln)
Passing on a love for plants—send your stories!
How did you get started gardening? Through your mother or a grandfather? Maybe a teacher, or a neighbor whose yard you admired? Gardeners' reflections on the people who passed on their love of plants are being collected for the 2010 Spring Affair newsletter, which is mailed annually to more than 10,000 gardeners.
“For many gardeners, their interest in plants came about through a particular person,” said Karma Larsen, editor of the Spring Affair Newsletter, “and often their favorite plants are associated with memories of a specific garden or individual.”
Stories and reflections can be written by individuals of any age: very young children; elementary, high school or college students remembering a favorite science teacher; parents eager to replace their kids' screens with a garden trowel; grandparents spending time outdoors with grandchildren or remembering their own parents' plants and gardens.
“We hope to include as many stories as possible in the newsletter but that will depend on the number of submissions,” said Larsen. Submissions should include the name and address of the author and "gardeners" as the subject. The 2010 Spring Affair plant sale will be held Saturday, April 24 at the Lancaster Event Center. Stories are being compiled for the Spring Affair newsletter that goes out in late March.
For more information or to get on the Spring Affair mailing list, call Larsen at (402) 472-7923, e-mail your submission to klarsen1@unl.edu or send them to the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, UNL, P.O. Box 830715, Lincoln, NE 68583-0715.
The 2010 plant sale will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 25 in Pavilion 1 at Lancaster Event Center, 84th and Havelock in Lincoln. More than 1,000 different varieties of plants will be available. Most are perennials but some are annual herbs and temperennial plants--hardy in warmer regions and grown as annuals in Nebraska. In addition, vendors selling garden art, sculpture, birdhouses and other items will be on hand.
The plants, purchased from Bluebird Nursery in Clarkson, Neb., are selected for their hardiness in Nebraska and for their past popularity. There is no charge to visit the sale. Plants cost between $2.50 and $7 each depending on pot size; some large specimens or rare specialty plants may be priced slightly higher. Credit cards accepted.
The 24th Annual Spring Affair will feature plants, programs and demonstrations to help you learn about updating your garden spaces. This event is free and open to the public.
(2007 photo by John Keller)
The Spring Affair Preview party offers gardening enthusiasts the opportunity to "preview" and purchase plants before Saturday's sale. Held Friday evening, April 23, the Preview Party also includes a dinner, music, door prizes and a silent auction. The Preview Party is sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Garden Friends. Tickets must be purchased in advance. The first two photos below are of the Preview Party. It is always decorated according the theme of Spring Affair.
Volunteers are needed to help at Spring Affair. Please visit our volunteer information page early in 2010 if you can help!
To order T-shirts, call 402/472-2679.
Tshirts will be printed with the 2010 Spring Affair logo. Tshirt colors from left: spring green, oyster and hydrangea blue
To make sure you're on the newspaper mailing list, call 402/472-2679.
