Dear Elaine,

I went to the May plant sale at Laurelwood Arboretum. There were so many beautiful plants! I had a chance to walk around and decided to join Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum. What are some of the opportunities and benefits of being a member, besides the 10 percent plant sale discount (much appreciated)?

Thank you
Cynthia

Dear Cynthia,

Thanks for being a customer at our annual fund-raising plant sale. A great deal of time and talents went into preparing for the sale. In fact, arrangements started the week after last year’s sale — identifying what sold well, what was leftover, what people requested for next year. We offered woody plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas and Pieris, plus other plants that represented Laurelwood (foxglove, winter aconite, ferns, primrose, Clerodendron, daisies and May apple. Co-chairs of the plant sale were Linda Wescott and Jeanne Pisatowski, with lots of help from Joe Di Giacomo and Sue Horesta, and a committee of nearly every volunteer at Laurelwood Arboretum. We hope that you will come back again next year, the Saturday before Mother’s Day.

Members of Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum received a discount of 10 percent. Other benefits include free/discounted admission to most programs, lecture and activities; monthly e-newsletter and annual newsletter; 10 percent discount on plants at local garden centers (Glenwild, Gro-Rite, Blooms of Wayne, Riverside and Glenn Pond); membership in the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program (RAP). The American Horticultural Society was founded in 1922 and is a non-profit 501(c)3. It is an organization “dedicated to making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens.” This RAP benefit gives members discount at more than 320 participating gardens throughout North America. Going to Santa Fe, New Mexico?  Get discounted admission at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. How about California? There are 33 participating gardens there. At Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, the world-famous Arnold Arboretum is a great place to visit. New Jersey has 7 participating gardens. Your Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum membership card qualifies you for a reduced or free admission and usually discounts at garden gift shops. Call all gardens prior to your visit for hours of operation, special events and exhibits. For a list of participating gardens, please go to www.ahsgardening.org

Thank you for visiting.

Happy summer!
Elaine Fogerty, Executive Director