Mary Tutwiler

Putting down some roots

by Mary Tutwiler

Looking for local exotics like pine cone ginger or hummingbird magnets such as fire spike? These aren’t your run-of-the-mill nursery plants. Fortunately, Lafayette’s master gardeners love to share the bounty of their green thumbs, and tomorrow, at the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center, they will host their annual fall plant sale. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the master gardeners will be there to pass along tips, garden lore, help shoppers choose the best varieties for sun or shade and just generally chat about plants, as over-the-fence neighbors love to do. There’s a gardener’s garage sale, and a raffle of unusual plant-filled containers. The fall plant sale comes at just the right moment for south Louisiana gardeners to get back into the yard after the heat of summer. And don’t let a little rain stop you. After all, the plants love it. The Ira Nelson Horticulture Center is located at 2206 Johnston St., right next to Blackham Coliseum.