Largest Selection Ever At The 2007 Arboretum Plant Sale

New Additions Include Fruit Trees, Berries, Grapes and Herbs

LISLE, IL (April 9, 2007) – Spice up your garden or see your yard through a “Looking Glass” with trees and other plants from The Morton Arboretum’s Annual Plant Sale during Arbor Day weekend.

This year’s “under-the-tent” sale offers approximately 25,000 trees and other plants – the most ever – and the widest variety, with more than 300 types of plants. For the first time, the Arboretum offers edibles – berries, grapes, fruit trees – and an expanded selection of herbs. Arboretum members get first choice at the selections from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28. Non-members can shop from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 29.

“The Arboretum is one of the few places to get many of these high-quality, cutting-edge tree and other plant varieties,” said Pete Linsner, Arboretum Plant Production Manager.

New varieties of hard-to-find flowering plants include the ‘Screaming Yellow’ wild indigo perennial; and the ‘Looking Glass’ Siberian bugloss groundcover, with baby blue flowers and a more intense, silvery foliage than other bugloss. This year’s sale “rocks” – with the rare ‘Jethro Tull’ coreopsis available. This plant gets its name because its flower petals are fluted – reminiscent of the rock group Jethro Tull that features flute music.

Buyers can pick fruiting trees such as the Freedom apple, Moorpark apricot or Elberta peach, or choose some great varieties of berry bushes such as the ‘Ft. Laramie’ strawberry. Homeowners can get the vines going on a garden trellis with several grape varieties such as the ‘Edelweiss’, ‘Reliance’ seedless, or ‘Swanson’.

The choice of herbs will be wider than in any past sale, highlighted by the culantro, a variety of coriander that tastes like cilantro but is much easier to grow in our climate.

“We’re also changing the way we’re potting the herbs,” Linsner said. “The containers will be nice enough to go from the sale straight to your kitchen window sill.”

Some of the hardy trees and plants developed by Arboretum scientists, including the trademarked Autumn Jazz southern arrowwood, will also be available.

Anyone who is not yet a member can sign up on Friday, April 27, or Saturday, April 28, and get $5 off any level of Arboretum yearly membership, and then go straight into the members-only Plant Sale. Arrive as early as you can, as some varieties – such as the fruit trees – are in limited supply.

The Plant Sale is part of the Arboretum’s Arbor Day celebration. Events on Friday, April 27, include children’s parades led by “Morty the Oak,” the ceremonial tree-planting and the official presentation and naming of Patrick Dougherty’s natural, woven wood sculpture. Friday, Saturday and Sunday activities include the interactive fun of “The Plant,” special guided walks, and Children’s Garden drop-in activities. Admission to the Arboretum on Arbor Day, April 27, is free.

The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized 1,700-acre outdoor museum with collections of 4,057 kinds of trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world. The Arboretum's beautiful natural landscapes, gardens, research and education programs, and year-round family activities support its mission - the planting and conservation of trees and other plants for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. Conveniently located at I-88 and Rte. 53 in Lisle, Illinois, the Arboretum is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or sunset, whichever is earlier, Central Time. The Children's Garden is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CDT) and 9:30 to 4 p.m. (CST). Visit www.mortonarb.org or call 630/968-0074 to learn more.

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