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Spring Native Plant Sale Saturday at Rotary Park

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People looking to buy inexpensive native plants and native wildflowers are invited to check out the Spring Native Plant Sale set for Saturday.

The event, sponsored by the Coccoloba Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rotary Park. Vendors will be present with trees, shrubs, plants and grasses, along with experts on native plants.

“We’re going to have thousands of native plants and native wildflowers, including butterfly plants,” Rachel Singletary, publicity chairwoman for the Coccoloba Chapter, said. “And, we do have a free butterfly house tour.”

Parking and admission are free, and there are tents and shade.

“We have hundreds of people come out,” she said.

The plants can range in cost from $2 to $25.

“The fact is that these are all native plants. We’ve got expert nursery people who are part of our club who have grown these plants locally, so they are well adapted for Southwest Florida,” Singletary said.

There will be information on native habitats, gardening and landscaping.

“A lot of people want information on butterfly gardening, so we have free butterfly guides,” Singletary said.

Also on sale will be natural fertilizers and plant and butterfly seeds.

“There will be a rain barrel presentation being put on by Florida Yards and Neighborhoods,” she said.

For those who are interested in native plants but are unsure about which ones they like, there are trails at Rotary Park with plants that are labeled.

“Rotary Park is a beautiful example of how well native plants grow in Southwest Florida,” Singletary said.

The mission of the Florida Native Plant Society is to promote preservation, conservation and restoration of native plants and native plant communities.

“They require less water, and less fertilizer, if any, and they are acclimated to our severe weather conditions,” she said of native plants.

The Coccoloba Chapter holds a plant sale in the spring and in the fall.

Rotary Park is located at 5505 Rose Garden Road.

For more information, call (239) 549-4606.

The Coccoloba Chapter meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month, September through April, at the Rutenberg Eco Center in Fort Myers. For more information on the chapter, call Singletary at (239) 543-9910.