Posted on: Friday, April 5, 2002

Arboretum plant sale promises lovely show

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Plant junkies, now may be the time to call your sponsor.

The Lyon Arboretum Spring Plant Sale returns to the Blaisdell Center tomorrow, bringing with it another opportunity for botany buffs to stock up on all manner of plant life.

"For a lot of people — and I'm one of them — plants become sort of an addiction," says horticulturist Liz Huppman. "So if you get them into a room like that, with all those different plants, they almost don't know what to do with themselves."

More than 35 invited nurseries are expected to participate in the event. While perennial faves like orchids and heliconias will be in good supply, certain venders have also been known to bring rarer products, like Southeastern fruit trees.

"There is such a wide range of plants in that one space that if you were to try to get the same things on your own, you'd spend all day driving around the island."

Dick Burson, a longtime arboretum volunteer, says the event draws anywhere from 35,000 to 45,000 visitors. With vendors sharing a portion of their proceeds, the sale is also a major fund-raiser for the arboretum, netting upwards of $25,000.

"It's popular with customers of all kinds, from little old ladies looking for house plants to people who spend hundreds of dollars," Burson said.