Heronswood Garden Open & Plant Sale

Articles: Heronswood Garden Open & Plant Sale

Contributor

I’m thrilled to be able to pass along the following information regarding Heronswood Nursery, a world-renowned botanical garden in Kingston, Washington, that’s in the process of returning to the garden stage. Plant lovers rejoice!

[sidebar]Heronswood Garden Open & Plant Sale

May 18, 2013 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

www.Heronswood.com.[/sidebar]

Heronswood, the world-renowned botanical garden in Kingston, Wash., is excited to announce the first Garden Open & Plant Sale for 2013 on May 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the first garden tour and plant sale event at Heronswood since its purchase by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe last year.

While plants from Heronswood won’t be available for purchase, nurseries from around the Puget Sound area will be on hand to bring patrons a wide variety of unique and unusual plants perfect for home gardens.

Featured nurseries include:

In addition to the vendor plant market, attendees will be able to tour the garden and experience the progress being made in its historic renovation. A series of afternoon lectures, including two by master plantsman and Heronswood co-founder, Dan Hinkley, will also be offered. At 11:30 a.m., Dan will talk about Heronswood’s early days and the work being done today to restore the garden in a talk called “Heronswood: Past, Present, and Future.” He will follow that up at 2:30 p.m. with “Foliage First.” Dan’s lectures will bookend a 1 p.m. talk from Kelly Dodson and Sue Milliken from Far Reaches Farm called “Plants Outside the Mainstream.” Seating is limited to first-come-first-serve.

The Heronswood Garden Open & Plant Sale is being hosted by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for tribal members while increasing the understanding of PGST’s rich cultural heritage among people in the Puget Sound. The Foundation—along with a Steering Committee made up of plant enthusiasts, tribal leaders, and respected horticulturalists—has been charged with managing restoration and community outreach activities at Heronswood.

According to Foundation Director Laurie Mattson, Heronswood provides a unique opportunity to further an appreciation of tribal art, history, and culture, while stressing the Tribe’s commitment to education and environmental stewardship. With this in mind, every event at Heronswood beginning with the Garden Open & Plant Sale on May 18 will feature tribal artisans, including carvers and painters, selling their work. One of the Foundation’s goals is to install tribal-inspired art throughout the garden.

Admission to the plant sale and all lectures is free of charge. Tickets to tour the garden will be available for $10 with all proceeds going towards the restoration and maintenance of the garden. Entrance for garden tours will close at 4 p.m.

The Foundation wants to ensure that both tribal and non-tribal communities have regular access to Heronswood and, as such, is planning for future Heronswood Garden Open & Plant Sales on July 6 and again in the fall.

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, originally known as the Nux Sklai Yem or Strong People, are descendants of the Salish people who have been well-established in the Puget Sound basin and surrounding areas since 2400 B.C. In the late 1930s, the Port Gamble S’Klallam reservation, located on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State, was established. Many of the Tribe’s members, who total over 1,200, still live there today.

For more information about the S’Klallam Tribe, please visit www.pgst.nsn.us.