If you are driving down Hwy 62 next Saturday morning (10/26) and wonder what all the action is around Olympic Ave. in Joshua Tree – it’s the wildly popular Mojave Desert Land Trust Fall native plant sale. The non-profit desert defenders have released the list of the native flora they will be featuring at the annual sale. According to the Land Trust – 75 species will be represented with at least 10 of those being species that are making their plant sale debut.
Those include the scarlet milkvetch, which has bright red blooms, the appropriately named deciduous shrub fragrant sumac, and the sure to be popular desert purple sage.
I’ve got my eye on the yellow bush penstemon – which I’ll hopefully be able to add to its pale purple and firecracker red varieties that I’ve picked up at previous plant sales. All the popular favorites are represented, but there are quite a few species that are limited to 1 per customer, so if you have your eye on a particular plant like wild rhubarb, be sure to get to the sale early and watch out for eager radio reporters who may be seeking that same plant. It starts at 10:00 a.m. but if past years are any indication, the lineup will start earlier than that. This year – to expedite checkout – the plant sale is going cashless so be sure to bring a debit or credit card.
That’s the Fall native Plant sale next Saturday, October 26th starting at 10:00 a.m. It’s at the MDLT headquarters just west of Joshua Tree on HWY 62, look for their big, freshly painted sign.
