Above: Peacock Dance. Photo courtesy of Charles Street Garden
Stock up on annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and other plants at the 11th annual Black Mountain Garden Show & Sale on Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State Street in Black Mountain. More than 20 vendors will offer plants, other related materials, and garden services. This event, free and open to the public, is hosted by the Black Mountain Beautification Committee. Fees from vendors help support the Committee’s mission of “honoring the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains all the while seeking to reflect the beauty on our streets and in our lives.” Growers from the area will offer beautiful plants available for purchase. Now in his seventh year of the show, Walter Hoover, of Charles Street Garden in Saluda, says that he looks forward to this event each year because of the welcoming atmosphere and helpfulness of all the volunteers. Charles Street Garden is a specialty grower of Japanese irises and the native blue flag iris. Jeff Seitz, of Appalachian Creek Garden Center in Swannanoa, is always searching for unusual and new plants. Among the plants he’ll bring this year is a red twig dogwood that prefers shade. “My favorite aspect of the show is seeing the community coming together in support of the Black Mountain Beautification Committee,” says Jeff. Among the gardenrelated services is the Committee’s Clothes Line Sale. For a fee, members will visit someone’s home to weed or plant. Demonstrations during the day cover many different topics and include bio-intensive gardening; aeroponics and how to complement your current garden; and a handson children’s activity. For more information, visit blackmountainbeautification.org or Black Mountain Beautification on Facebook.
