Contributed Photo: The Gila Watershed Partnership will hold its second virtual plant sale Sept. 14 – Oct. 16 online.
Order plants online from September 14 – October 16 and pick up at Gila Native Plant Nursery
Contributed Article
SAFFORD – In continued response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Gila Watershed Partnership is holding another virtual plant sale in lieu of an in-person event.
Those hoping to purchase native, pollinator-friendly, and drought-tolerant plants can order online and then pick up their plants between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. every Friday between Sept. 14 – Oct. 16.
“In the Upper Gila Watershed, we are blessed with relatively mild weather most of the year,” said Steve Plath, Gila Native Plant Nursery Manager. “Because of our generally moderate temperatures, fall can be one of our most dependable planting seasons and offers a wide variety of advantages. It allows new plants the longest period of time to get established prior to the next Summer’s heat. Adequate watering during the cooler weather is far easier to manage and the occasional missed watering rarely results in damaged plants.”
“So even though you may have missed an opportunity to plant during this past Spring or it’s just too hot to think of digging a hole with the Summer heat, your best season to add specimens to the garden or plant a new native pollinator garden is yet to come.”
There will be several plant varieties that haven’t been offered before, and they will be promoted on Facebook (www.facebook.com/gilawatershedpartnership) and website (www.gwpaz.org/nursery/plantsforsale), so be sure to like the Facebook page or view the website to find out more about the plants that will be offered.
To order plants, go to www.gwpaz.org/nursery/plantsforsale for a full plant list and prices, along with instructions on how to order. Customers can either pay online after receiving the invoice, or they can pay with cash, credit, or check when they pick up their plants at the Gila Native Plant Nursery at EAC Discovery Park Campus on Fridays between Sept. 18 – Oct. 16. GWP staff will have orders waiting and will process all orders using CDC recommended sanitary measures to keep our customers safe.
The Partnership would like to thank the sale’s sponsors, Anneta Smith of Tierra Antigua, Sorensen Financial, SWCA Environmental Consultants, and Strategic Habitat Enhancements.
As part of this year’s plant sale, the Partnership is also offering a special 10 percent discount for GWP supporters who have donated to the Gila Watershed Partnership at the $100 level or above. Any current members who recruit an additional member will receive an additional 15 percent off their purchases, up to the first $100. If you are interested in joining the GWP membership program at $100 or above to be eligible for this special discount, go to www.gwpaz.org/donate, or contact Julie Davis at (928) 424-3886 or julie@gwpaz.org.
For questions or more information about the plant sale, contact Melanie Tluczek at (928) 424-3886 or melanie@gwpaz.org. All proceeds from the plant sales help support the Gila Watershed Partnership.
How to get to the Gila Native Plant Nursery: Enter EAC Discovery Park Campus at the south end of 20th Avenue in Safford. Drive up the hill, through the parking lot, and cross the railroad track. Drive down the hill, until you see the greenhouse on the right. Looks for signs to direct how to enter and pick up your plant order.
The Gila Native Plant Nursery was established in 2013 to help provide native plants and trees for habitat restoration. The nursery has grown to provide contract grows for clients requiring specific plants, and also provides southeast Arizona residents with a local source of native plants, including pollinator and low-water-use species. Along with the Gila Watershed Partnership, their founding partners, the Bureau of Land Management – Safford Field Office and Eastern Arizona College Discovery Park continue to provide significant and ever-present support. To learn more about the Gila Native Plant Nursery, go to www.gwpaz.org/nursery.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered at Eastern Arizona Discovery Park Campus, The Gila Watershed Partnership (GWP) is a boots-on-the-ground, field-based conservation organization. GWP confronts issues in the Upper Gila Watershed that include polluted rivers, soil erosion, invasive weeds, loss of habitat, drought, fire, and flooding. GWP works with diverse partners to implement projects that direct resources to the root of these issues while employing and purchasing locally to benefit the economy and community.
