32 Spring 2017 mattersmagazine.com 33 only fundraiser, the club’s annual sale pays for the many projects the club undertakes to benefit the community. Over the years, the club has held the sale in many locations. Starting in 1937 at Tyson’s Store on the corner of Maplewood Avenue and Baker Street, it moved to several locations in Memorial Park and the Village before landing in 1974 at its current home, the Maplewood Pool parking lot. The final move gave the sale room to offer many more varieties of annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, tropicals, tender perennials, succulents, hanging baskets, shrubs and trees. Although the sale takes place over the course of three days, preparing for it is a year-long activity, starting right after tents come down from the current sale. Unsold perennials are moved into a garden behind the township greenhouses to be saved for next year while the remaining plants are moved to a member’s yard where those in the know can buy what’s left. Members inventory and analyze these “leftovers” to inform orders for the following year. Big sellers are noted as well as duds. Case in point: Last year’s Nonstop Begonias didn’t sell as planned and their quantity for this year has been duly reduced. Trends come and go, and the club tries to stay on top of what’s popular. Fortunately the committee includes people who love scouring the latest catalogs for new and unusual plant varieties that would never be sold at the local big- box stores. Hellebores and succulents are two of the latest crazes in the plant world, so the club will be offering seven hellebore varieties (including the purpurescans and “Confetti Cake” strains), as well as three times the number of succulents it offered in 2016. During the year, the club also creates merchandise to sell, such as the beautiful bushy coleus plants, a plant sale favorite. Dace Spanier, Yiba Ng, and David Nial teach a group of newer members how to take cuttings from large, mature plants in the fall before the first frost. They root the cuttings and transplant them and then spend all winter long pinching back and nurturing the plants in the quonset hut behind Town Hall. The club’s specialty is its collection of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, prized for their taste. “Team Tomato,” headed by Jim Myracle, invests in the time- intensive work of grafting some of each variety onto a hardier rootstock to increase productivity, disease resistance and stress tolerance. Most growers don’t bother doing this, but the team believes the results make it worthwhile. Normally, grafted tomatoes are only available at specialized nurseries and carry hefty price tags. Hint: if you want tomatoes, head to the sale early as they are one of the first items to sell out. This year’s sale is scheduled for Thursday, May 11 through Saturday, May 13, just in time for Mother’s Day (flower baskets, anyone?). Starting at noon on opening day, eager shoppers will have already formed a line to get first dibs on the peony collection (13 varieties), the seven types of Astilbe and five of Dicentra (bleeding heart), all of which are popular in shady Maplewood. If you need a little gardening advice, be sure to seek out club members, identifiable in their green shirts. It’s easy to go a little crazy at the sale, but don’t feel too guilty. It’s all for a good cause (the club is Annuals, herbs, succulents, hanging baskets, trees, shrubs, perennials, and more abound at the sale. The Garden Club recommends that you come early for the best selection. a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit). Your purchases might help fund a scholarship for a Columbia High School graduate, a gardening book in the library or projects to beautify Memorial Park. Information on the varieties of tomatoes, vegetables, Strive for Excellence! Northern New Jersey’s premier academic program Pursue your Passion! Science, writing, arts, math, STEAM, SAT/ACT, specialized workshops and more It’s Going to be an Excellent Summer at Newark Academy It’s Going to be an Excellent Summer at Newark Academy June 26 - August 4, 2017 www.newarka.edu/summer Prepare to Win! Mott-Leeney Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, Fencing, Swimming, Volleyball and Field Hockey Over ••• 50••• Summer Programs 91 South Orange Avenue Livingston, NJ 07039 summer@newarka.edu (973) 992-7000 and herbs available, along with a map of the sale and a coupon, can be found at maplewoodgardenclub.org. Thanks to Plant Sale chair Judy Cronin, MGC president Kathy Kohlman and plant sale volunteer extraordinary Laura Nial for their help with this story. https://www.facebook.com/noodlefanSO/ Noodlefan 14 Academy St. South Orange, NJ 07079 Phone: (973) 313-0003 Monday - Sunday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM Dine In, Take Out, or Delivery Exquisite Thai Cuisine