Yesterday morning, Marita and I worked to get both kudzu (Invasive Plant that Ate the South) and eunymous (native to Asia, invasive “winter creeper” here) out of the area under the giant maple tree, in part to make up for three of us suddenly cutting out of Friday’s work party in order to join a “disorientation tour with striking IU graduate student workers. 

I told her I was thinking about checking out a nearby native plant sale, that afternoon, and would she like to join me? Well, she couldn’t, but I managed to mosey over there around 3 pm.

Hinkle-Garton Farmstead to Offer Daisy Days Native Plant Sale Saturday, Sunday

And guess what? At least 75% of the tables set up for the sale were completely empty, with the rest holding leftovers from the likely not-so-cool native perennials. I did manage to get two each of $5 pots and one $7 pot — 7 different varieties for $57 total. I made sure to take a photo of the description and name of each plant, so I will know whether shade, part shade, or full sun for each. These will go in hopefully later today.

While I was paying for my little darlings, the man selling them told me that in order to get a good selection of plants, I would have needed to arrive when everybody else did, at 10:30 AM, parking, and then getting into a long line! He said they sold more plants in the first hour than they sold during the entire weekend last year. WOW! That he’s just going to cancel the Sunday sale, since the plants are about gone.

WOW! People here in this town are really catching on!

Meanwhile, this morning I walked around part of the Green Acres Village land, and photographed these perennial  lovelies.

We have tons of valerian here, don’t know how it got here either, but it grows very tall and has a large white flower that blooms later. I’d call it an invasive, except that it’s such a great medicinal herb. And with my jumpy nervous system and chronic insomnia I can certainly make use of it.

Plus, got several photos of the wandering path network podmate Joseph just created in front of the house where he lives, using wood chips, in the forest garden dominated by our massive, and now cut back Elderberry Queen, (center right).

Another view, with elderberry to the left.

I love to see people come into their own here, taking initiative to explore their own native perennial talents! We’ve noticed before, the beautiful cut flower arrangements and tiny little altars he creates. Clearly,  Joseph is a designer.