Golden Columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha) Photo by Elroy LimmerCalling all gardeners to the Gila Native Plant Society (GNPS) annual native plant sale on Saturday, August 17, 2024. It will be held from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the parking lot on the corner of 12th and Pope Streets, across from Gough Park. Five native plant vendors will be selling a wide variety of native trees, shrubs, perennial flowers, grasses, cacti, succulents and vines. Purchasers can select the plants they want and discuss their placement and care with native plant growers. Cash and checks only, please. The public is welcome.
The vendors will be Lone Mountain Natives from here in Silver City, Honey Hawk Homestead from the Mimbres, Whisky Creek Zócalo from Arenas Valley, Spadefoot Nursery from Cochise County and Gila Watershed Partnership from Safford, AZ.
Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) Photo by Elroy Limmer
Why plant native plants? They are adapted to the specific conditions of our area, its soils, sunshine, and moisture levels, and are more drought-tolerant than most non-natives. Native plants have long-standing relationships with native pollinators and other wildlife, providing food and shelter. And they are beautiful. If you want to see what some mature native plants look like, take a stroll in the Silva Creek Botanical Garden, maintained by GNPS, on Virginia Street, two blocks north of Highway 180.
Why plant in August/September? To be sure, in spring every gardener feels eager to get some new plants in the ground. But then, as May turns into June, the heat and dryness build up and take a toll on new plantings, no matter how often the homeowner gets out the hose. As we get farther from the summer solstice, the sun is less intense, days and nights are cooler, the monsoon season is underway, and humidity is up. 
Desert Honeysuckle (Anisacanthus thurberi) Photo by Elroy Limmer
And, of course, moister soil and milder sun are easier on the gardener as well as the plants. The new plantings will have plenty of time to repair any damage that may occur during transplanting and develop healthy root systems before next spring.
The Gila Native Plant Society invites the community to come to the parking lot next to Gough Park on Saturday, August 17th, to talk about native plants and acquire some for the garden. Incidentally, the event is not designed as a fundraiser for GNPS -- all proceeds of plant sales will go to the vendors. The aim of the Gila Native Plant Society is simply to get as many native plants in as many local gardens as possible.
Superb Penstemon on Boston Hill (Penstemon superbus) Photo by Elroy Limmer
For more information, check the Gila Native Plant Society website ( https://gilanps.org/events/plant-sale-2/ ) or contact GNPS at
