KPU horticulture hosts annual plant sale at Langley campus
Dressed in rain gear, shoppers browsed rows of plants grown by students
Aster flowers and coral bells were just some of the plants people could shop from at KPU's School of Horticulture plant sale. (Yohani Weheragama)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Horticulture department hosted their annual one day plant sale at the Langley campus greenhouses on April 27 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Even in an overrun of spring rain, the line for the sale stretched from the tip of the checkout and wound along the building to the exit gate. Shoppers browsed from a variety of flowers, hanging baskets, herbs, conifers, and other plants, which were laid outside in neat rows.
Some popular items included vivid red or pink geraniums and edible herbs like black cherry tomato. Many shoppers also stumbled across plants with sentimental value or ones they look forward to planting in their garden like Golden Marigold or Black-eyed Susan.
Shelley Murley, an instructional associate with the department of horticulture, says the annual plant sale has taken place since the School of Horticulture opened 31 years ago and is held on the last Saturday of April each year. The revenue from the sale will go back into the program.
Everything sold was grown and made in the department’s classes, Murley says, including the hanging baskets crafted in the introduction to greenhouse practices class and various plants like perennials, woody shrubs, and trees cultivated in nursery production.
There was something for everyone’s price range. Herbs and smaller flowers were $2 to $3 a pot or section, many flowering plants were under $6, small fruit pots were $15.99, one gallon deciduous shrubs and conifers were $14.99, and hanging baskets could be found for $79.99.
Most of the plants are grown with synthetic fertilizers and are pesticide free. While one greenhouse is grown completely organically and includes kales and lettuces, another common tactic is the incorporation of “biological bugs, so good bugs in order to eat our bad bugs,” Murley says.
“Very rarely we will use chemicals if we have to, but [it’s] usually under high pressure points that we have no option.”
Murley also says the sale is a way to “share [the program’s] wealth with the public” while clearing out greenhouses for students in future semesters.
Horticulture students and faculty also volunteered for the plant sale, tallying plants for customers in orange vests.
“I don’t think [students] understand how much [the public] appreciates the products that we grow until they actually do a plant sale. Then it’s kind of like, ‘Wow, everybody was so happy,’” Murley says.
Malaika Cotton, a volunteer and second-year horticulture student at KPU says, “It’s been amazing … there’s always lots to learn and the people are just so enjoyable.”
Cotton says she likes to encourage others to be sustainable and shop locally, and that the sale is great for the local community.
“I just heard somebody [say they’ve] come back five years in a row. I hear people, they love it.”
This year’s plant sale is being extended next week from May 7 to 10 and will be open from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Although there isn’t an upcoming plant sale for the summer semester, the department will host weekly vegetable sales at the Langley campus greenhouses every Thursday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm with fresh produce grown pesticide-free from the greenhouses. Some potential vegetables include peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, and eggplants.
To learn more about KPU’s horticulture program, visit kpu.ca/science/hort.
