The student-run horticulture business at the ACCESS Academy and Young Adult Campus on Mississippi Street will open its spring plant sale to the public starting Saturday, April 9, and continue operations 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays through May 27 — or until the inventory is sold out.
Students are on hand during plant sales, answering questions about the plants as well as helping to carry them to the checkout, and to your vehicle. The pride the young people take in the plants is as important as the plants themselves. All proceeds of the sale benefit the ACCESS Gardens horticulture program in providing therapy, educational and vocational training opportunities for individuals with special needs.
A wide variety of annuals, including Angelonia, Sunpatiens, Scaevola (fan flower), Pentas, Coleus and Calibrachoa are growing in a variety of sizes. Lush hanging baskets are filled with petunias or bougainvillea and there are some mixed baskets.
If you prefer perennials, they have plenty of those to choose from as well. A sampling of them includes a good selection of heuchera (coral bells), hostas, coreopsis, daylilies and salvia.
A popular perennial the past few years has been Lime Mound sedum. There is also a nice selection of herbs to choose from, including rosemary, lavender, thyme and chives. There are even a few shrubs thrown in with some hydrangeas, a unique compact butterfly bush named Chrysalis Purple, and a few roses.