Have a Manza-neato day
Last year, a beloved plant got its own holiday.
“Whereas: the City of Manzanita has proudly shared its name with the beautiful shrub, manzanita, for more than one hundred years,” began the proclamation signed by Mike Scott, mayor of Manzanita, declaring March 31 to be officially Manzanita Day.
To celebrate, the Hoffman Center for the Arts is throwing a virtual party that includes a tell-all talk by plant curator Ketzel Levine, as well as an online raffle offering the chance to score a gorgeous watercolor manzanita portrait and seven chances for a live manzanita plant.
Organizers couldn’t think of a more delightful event during the dubious month of March than a colorful, inspiring talk about garden plants.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the guest speaker to give that talk.
Instead, in “How to Kill A Manzanita and other Dark Tales from the Wonder Garden,” Levine reveals the truth behind all the beauty thriving in Manzanita’s little botanic garden.
From the garden’s mahogany-stemmed manzanitas to its multi-seasoned non-stop blooms, it turns out a whole lot more is going on there than meets the eye.
“Early on in my education as a gardener, I heard a famous plantsman speak these sobering words,” Levine said. “‘You are not stretching yourself as a gardener if you’re not killing plants.’ Let’s just say I took it to heart.”
The virtual talk will run from 4 to 5:30 pm on Wednesday, March 31.
Join Levine for an hour of insight into what thrives and dies in our coastal climate and how to work the odds in your favor so you’ll always have something in bloom, including the plant that spells home: manzanita.
A former NPR correspondent and plant expert, Levine now lives on Neahkahnie Mountain. She is the author of “Plant This! Best Bets for Year-Round Gardens” and is the Hoffman’s Horticultural Arts program lead. She loves dogs and is fond of exclamation marks.
A private garden consultation with Levine is one of the prizes offered in the raffle, which is raising funds for the coming year in the Hoffman Wonder Garden.
In Levine’s own exclamation-soaked words:
“We need more plants! New edging! And scoff if you must at our creaky knees, but we need a few garden kneelers for our otherwise indomitable volunteers!”
Perhaps you’ve taken one of Ketzel’s tours through the Wonder Garden and are familiar with her extensive plant knowledge.
Turns out she’s not half-bad when it comes to garden design, either.
During your one-hour consultation, she’ll help you identify what works for you in your garden, what you want changed and how to get there.
Consultation services are limited to the greater Manzanita area.
The lucky winner of the watercolor will take home a 7” x 9” work of an unusual manzanita species by artist Bonnie Kost, ready for framing.
The seven live manzanitas were supplied by Cistus Nursery on Sauvie Island and Xera Plants in Portland. Both nurseries claim to be the smartest kids on the block when it comes to which genus and species thrive on the coast.
Pick-up for the live manzanitas will be arranged for an April date in the Wonder Garden at 594 Laneda Avenue.
Tickets for the raffle are $20 per entry. The drawing will take place on March 31, with winners contacted on April 1.
For more information on the talk and to purchase raffle tickets, go to hoffmanarts.org.