ARIZONA STATE PARKS: For Immediate Release
Managing and conserving Arizona’s natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people, both in our Parks and through our Partners. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Bilbrey at (602) 542-1996 or (602) 228-8518, or Monica Enriquez at (602) 542-6997. Contact by Email: pio(at)azstateparks.gov

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Fall Plant Sale October 10 - 25

(Phoenix, AZ - October 2, 2009) - Boyce Thompson Arboretum's Fall Plant Sale is October 10 - 25, 2009 and will include lectures, tours, special guests and plants!

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is the perfect place to stock up on drought-tolerant plants and October is the best month of the year to plant them. The Arboretum is the place to learn about desert gardening too, with topics ranging from edible desert plants to flowering shrubs, and from trees and perennials to bonsai. The two-week Fall Plant Sale will also feature guest appearances by local landscaping expert Tom McDonald, Sonoran Desert ecology author Gerald Rosenthal and butterfly gardener Adriane Grimaldi.

Brand new this year at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum Fall Plant Sale is the "All-In-One Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden." Arboretum nursery staff have put together collections of salvia, buddleia, penstemon and other drought tolerant plants proven to appeal to hummingbirds and butterflies. We've done the research and chosen the plants for you so you can drive home with your own do-it-yourself hummingbird and butterfly garden. What's more, butterfly tour guide Adriane Grimaldi will lead a walking tour teaching visitors about butterflies on Saturday, October 24, and then offer a slideshow and lecture about her own butterfly gardening experiences that same afternoon in the lecture room from 2 until 3:30pm.

Weekends during the Fall Plant Sale offer opportunities to meet Arboretum horticultural staff as well as volunteers from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program. If you have questions about gardening, horticulture, landscaping or plant care, Arboretum staff and volunteers will have the answers.

The sale continues daily during business hours from 8am to 5pm, Saturday, October 10 through Sunday, October 25. For complete details, check out the Boyce Thompson Arboretum website at http://ag.arizona.edu/bta or call (520) 689-2723.

The cost is $7.50 adult admission to enter the Arboretum ($3 for ages 5-12), even if the visit is simply to buy plants during the plant sale event. Memberships start at $45, and can be purchased the day you visit - or download the membership form from http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is located at highway 60 milepost #223 near the historic copper mining town of Superior just 45 miles due east of Mesa or about 90 minutes drive northeast of Tucson via Oracle Road to Highway 79 north to Highway 60 east. Daily hours are 8am to 5pm. The annual Spring Plant Sale is a fundraising event that supports programs of Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Listen to an updated recording about tours or events by calling (520) 689-2811. To check with our staff about whether specific plants are available please call (520) 689-2723 seven days a week from 8am to 5pm.

Check out BTA's new facebook page (facebook.com/boycethompsonarboretum) and "become a fan" with a single click if you'd like frequent updates about events - and to connect with BTA members, staff, and volunteers. And bookmark the Arboretum website http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu where you can view videos, browse photo galleries and read more about weekly nature walks and events.

Special events during the plant sale include:

  • "For The Love of Bonsai." This workshop and lecture will take place on two Wednesdays, October 14 and October 21. Learn the history of this intricate art form, see colorful photos, and get started with your own bonsai kit with Arboretum staffer, Master Gardener, and bonsai enthusiast Preston Cox. You'll learn that desert trees such as acacias and mesquites as well as many types of succulents make excellent bonsai plants. The October 14 lecture is included with daily admission. The Oct. 21 workshop is $32.50 for non-members and $25 for members. Participants will complete the workshop with their own potted bonsai ready to take home. Spaces are limited. Call 520-689-2723 to enroll and pre-pay for the workshop.
     
  • Tom's Top Ten Guided Landscaping Walking Tours (check the website or call BTA for exact times and dates). East valley aspiring author and landscape expert Tom McDonald, owner of Smiling Dog Landscapes, is a popular guest at the Arboretum's annual plant sale fundraisers. The Gold Canyon resident returns this fall to lead walking tours pointing out "Tom's Top Ten" plants and trees for desert landscaping. He'll explain why plants you see in our Demonstration Garden are among his favorite desert-adapted, colorful, charismatic species for Pinal and Maricopa County landscaping. The author will also explain basic irrigation and water-saving concepts and answer questions. Bring along photos or blueprints of your yard; Tom will be happy to offer one-on-one advice following his walk.
     
  • Saturday, October 17 "Plants-of-the-Bible" Guided Tour will be at 1:30pm. On this guided walking tour, Mesa resident and bible scholar David Oberpriller will point out palms, figs, olives, pomegranates and other plants of the bible and share his knowledge of bible botany. This two-hour tour proceeds at an easy pace along wheelchair-and-walker-accessible paths.
     
  • Sundays, October 18 and November 15, the "Tree Tour with Terry Mikel" will be at 1:30pm. Join Terry Mikel for an insightful, often humorous afternoon as he guides a leisurely walk through the Arboretum's extensive collection of trees from arid land regions throughout the world. Terry is a recently retired horticulturist from the University of Arizona and has a lifetime of knowledge to share.
     
  • Saturday, October 24, the Butterfly Walk will be from 9:30-11am. Learn to identify common species of butterflies and learn about the colorful insects' life cycles on a two-hour walk through the Demonstration and Hummingbird-Butterfly Gardens with Arboretum volunteer and photographer Adriane Grimaldi.
     
  • Saturday, October 24, the Butterfly Gardening will be from 1-2:30pm in the Smith Building Lecture Room. Adriane Grimaldi will offer a 90-minute slideshow and presentation about butterfly gardening in our Lecture room.
     
  • Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25, Gerald Rosenthal will present Sonoran Desert Lecture and Tour. The final weekend of the Fall Plant Sale at Boyce Thompson Arboretum includes two chances to learn about plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert from Scottsdale author Dr. Gerald A. Rosenthal. Saturday, October 24 is indoors with a one-hour lecture and Sunday, October 25 is outdoors with a guided walking tour. Rosenthal, a respected nature photographer who has spent the past 12 years exploring, studying, and recording images in the Sonoran Desert, will also be available to sign copies of his books. Meet the author at his signing table at 9-10:30am, or during his lecture and walking tour on Saturday and Sunday. Rosenthal is the author of "Sonoran Desert Life: Understanding, Insights, and Enjoyment."

For more information about the 30 State Parks, statewide hiking opportunities, off-highway vehicle trails, and other outdoor recreational and cultural opportunities in Arizona, call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit AZStateParks.com.

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