Anyone who wants to learn how to attract birds and bees and butterflies to their garden and then take home some plants that can help will find all that and more at the Center for the Inland Bays’ Native Plant Sale at the James Farm Ecological Preserve from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 6.
This is the 13th native plant sale at the James Farm and, this year, the theme is “Planting for Pollinators.” In addition to thousands of plants for sale, the event features tours led by naturalists, food, crafts and more.
Native flowers, trees, shrubs and grasses will be available for sale from participating nurseries: Envirotech, Inland Bays Garden Center, Roots Nursery and Sussex Landscaping.
Tours and nature talks will begin even before the sale itself, which begins at 9 a.m. The Sussex Bird Club will lead a bird walk at 8 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., naturalist Tom Lord will lead an exploration of the plants and critters at the James Farm; Dennis Bartow will lead a similar walk at 11 a.m. The Master Gardeners of Sussex County will host a presentation on pollinators and why they matter at 10:15 a.m.
Children can get in on the action by building their own pollinator habitats in the Junior Gardeners tent throughout the event; face painting will take place there, too.
Also throughout the morning, local environmental groups, stakeholders and friends will offer information and exhibits on gardening, pollinators, bay-friendly practices and more.
At the Center for the Inland Bays’ tent, “Gardening for the Bays” T-shirts, new CIB bumper stickers and one-of-a-kind bird and bee houses will be for sale, with proceeds supporting the work of the center to preserve, protect and restore the Inland Bays.
Good Earth Market will have breakfast treats and coffee for sale for early-birds, and will offer snacks and lunch throughout the day, including organic hotdogs and the Gardening for the Bays traditional sandwich: organic Havarti cheese, sprouts, tomato and cucumber.
The center is seeking volunteers to help set up for the event on Friday, May 5, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Volunteers are also needed to greet visitors at the CIB booths during the event, and to help with children’s activities and other duties on the day of the sale. To volunteer, contact Pat Drizd at volunteer@inlandbays.org or (302) 226-8105, ext. 113.
The James Farm preserve is located at 30048 Cedar Neck Road, near Ocean View. For more information on the Native Plant Sale, call the Center for the Inland Bays at (302) 226-8105 or visit the CIB website at www.inlandbays.org.