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Spring Affair Plant Sale April 27 in Lincoln

LINCOLN — Spring Affair, the Midwest’s largest gardening event, will be Saturday, April 27, at the Lancaster Event Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 500 varieties of plants will be offered at the day-long plant sale, with educational talks, “talk-abouts” and garden vendors all under the same roof.

“For This Place” is the theme of the 2013 event. UNL Extension Horticulture Specialist Kim Todd said the need for regionally appropriate planting influences both plant selection and the event’s educational offerings. “After a summer like 2012, gardeners are taking a second look at their landscapes and making more careful decisions about plant selection.”

Plants are selected for regional suitability, uniqueness, demand and are provided by Bluebird Nursery Inc., of Clarkson, Neb. Gardeners will find perennials, herbs, native plants, temperennials, vines and a variety of trees and shrubs.

Admission to the sale is free. The plant sale, plant talks and vendors of garden art, sculptures, furniture and other items are all under one roof in Pavilion I, on the northeast edge of the Lancaster Event Center. Plenty of parking is available north of the building.

Plant talks include: “Design: Starting from Scratch,” presented by Lincoln Parks & Recreation Park Planner Mark Canney at 10:30; “What’s Eating My Landscape? Pollinators and Predators,” presented by UNL Extension Educator David Lott at noon; and “Grazing Your Garden,” presented by UNL Extension Educator Elizabeth Killinger at 1:30.

The Spring Affair Preview Party is Friday night, April 26. To register and pay for the preview party, go to nsatickets.com.

Throughout the day, “talk-about” speakers will wend their way through the plant sale discussing color combinations, plant texture, plants for drought and other topics.

The 2013 Spring Affair newsletter will be mailed in early April. This year’s newsletter will include more complete plant descriptions than in the past, making plant selection easier for new gardeners but with enough information to satisfy even the most seasoned gardener.

The Spring Affair Preview Party is Friday night, April 26. To register and pay for the preview party, go to nsatickets.com.

Spring Affair is sponsored by Nebraska Statewide Arboretum in partnership with the UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, UNL Extension and Extension Master Gardeners. This annual event serves as both an educational tool and a fundraising event for the ongoing growth of the Arboretum’s programs and affiliate gardens. Proceeds from Spring Affair sustain the arboretum’s mission and fund critical programs and services. For more information or to get a copy of the newsletter, call 402-472-2971 or visit springaffair.unl.edu.

 

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