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Education Notes

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Discover Native Plants This October at UH-Clear Lake

By Rowena McDermid, Environmental Education Assistant

Shoppers browsing through a variety of native plants for sale
Shoppers browse through a variety of native plants for sale, choosing from over 2,000 forbs, grasses, shrubs, and vines. With over 70 species of native plants available, there are options for a variety of soil conditions and light requirements.

Our next native plant sale, held in partnership with the Clear Lake Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), will be on Saturday, October 5, from 8 to 11 a.m. Preparation for the sale begins months in advance. Seeds from native plants are collected from members' gardens, the Environmental Institute of Houston's Habitat Garden, and nearby prairies and roadsides. They are then cold-stratified (a process of chilling seeds to simulate winter conditions) or scarified (scratching or nicking the seed coat to encourage germination), if necessary, and set to germinate. After germination, the seedlings are separated and cared for until they are large enough to be potted up and moved from the greenhouse to the shade house. There, they are watered and weeded until ready for sale. This work is done by environmental education staff, volunteers, and Native Plant Society members at home. By the time of the sale, we will have over 2,000 forbs, grasses, shrubs, and vines representing more than 40 species for sale! Prices range from $4 to $25.

We recycle and reuse materials as much as possible, especially pots and labels. We even compost our garden clippings to use as a soil amendment. If you want to donate used pots, we accept clean 1-gallon round and 4-inch square pots. Please do not donate other sizes, as we do not use them.

Helle and Nancy hang a banner at the entrance to the NOA I gardens.
Campus Map

Helle Brown and Nancy Saint hang the Clear Lake Chapter's banner at the entrance to the plant sale at NOA I.

Campus Map & Directions

The sale occurs in our Habitat Garden outside the North Office Annex I (NOA I) building on the UHCL campus. This location gives visitors the opportunity to see our native plant gardens and pocket prairie. The setting creates a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere where visitors can stop, chat with friends, and get advice from our expert volunteers. In the weeks leading up to the sale, we are busy tidying the garden, weeding pots, setting everything out on benches, labeling, making signs, and receiving additional plants from wholesale nurseries. On the day of the sale, the garden is a hive of activity, with shoppers lining up early to fulfill their wish lists.

Shoppers browsing the plant selection at the sale.
Wild Poinsettia

The garden outside North Office Annex I is abuzz with activity during a previous fall plant sale, as visitors explore a wide selection of native plants.

Our biannual plant sales are setting a new standard for the variety of native plants available in one place, including hard-to-find species such as this wild poinsettia.

To make things easier, NPSOT publishes an online catalog several weeks in advance, which is helpful for presale browsing and serves as an informative resource.

Fall 2024 Plant Sale CatalogEveryone is welcome — so please stop by and pick up some native plants for your landscape!

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