Garden Detective

I love free stuff. And when you combine free with plants, I practically foam at the mouth. So when a press release from MillionTreesNYC hit my mailbox earlier this week, my antenna went up.

There are some catches, though. Despite the group's name, there won't actually be a million trees available for "adoption." The group is giving away 1,200 trees on May 10, 17 and 18 at four Council on the Environment of NYC Greenmarkets and at the Riverdale (Bronx) YM-YWHA's Environmental Fair, with 250 trees available at each location. Also, there's a limit of one per household. You won't get to landscape your entire property, but, hey, it's a tree. And free is a beautiful thing. (The group's name actually comes from its goal to plant and care for 1 million new trees across the city’s five boroughs by 2017.)

Limited quantities of the following species of trees will be available on a first-come, first-served basis: Red Bud, Dogwood, Cherry, Crabapple, Service Berry, Linden, Sweetgum, Oak, Tulip Poplar and Buckeye.

If you happen to grab one, you'll be required to register your new tree at www.milliontreesnyc.org. I'm not quite sure why, though I wonder whether the agency will send case workers to monitor the type of home you're providing. (Is there a such thing as Arbor Foster Care for those that are neglected? If so, I personally know of dozens of abused trees in need of rescuing.)

NYRP horticulture specialists will help get you started, with instruction on how to plant properly and then send you on your merry way. If you don't have a yard, as is likely the case for the many apartment dwellers who attend these events, there will be opportunites to get your hands dirty, anyway. Info will be available on volunteer opportunities, educational programs and, of course, contributing to MillionTreesNYC.

Here are the details:

• Saturday, May 10
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Borough Hall CENYC Greenmarket – Staten Island, St. Mark’s and Hyatt

• Saturday, May 10
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Grand Army Plaza CENYC Greenmarket – Brooklyn Prospect Park NW Entrance

• Sunday, May 17
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Inwood CENYC Greenmarket – Upper Manhattan Isham St., Seaman & Cooper

• Saturday, May 17
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunnyside CENYC Greenmarket – Queens, Skillman between 42nd and 43rd streets

• Sunday, May 18
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Riverdale YM-YWHA Environmental Fair – Bronx, 5625 Arlington Ave., at 256th Street

I found some great sales going on right now at online garden retailers. Start the New Year off right with more tools in your shed and more money in your pocket. Check these out:





Gardeners Supply Company is having a post-holiday gardeners sale. I like the Carnival stakes pictured at left for $9.99.

Save 50% off this selection at Breck's Bulbs Plus, take $25 off a purchase of $50

Save 35%-50% at Park Seed with these web-only specials. Plus, they're having a $1 seed sale.

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery is currently offering $20 off a purchase of $50 or more.

There's a small half-price sale going on at Bluestone Perennials. Most plants ship in Spring.

I found this quirky set of hose guides at Amazon for $9.99 (originally $30). Since I'm not the most careful waterer -- and I don't have an automatic sprinkler system -- I'm ordering a couple of sets to protect my perennials from getting trampled (again.)

I like the monogramable gardening gloves from Red Envelope pictured below. And at $22-$27, they'd make a nice, affordable gift, even for myself.

Coupon codes

Use XKET8303 at Dutch Gardens for 25% off a minimum $30 purchase

CNB83002 gets you 15% a purchase of $25 at Gardeners.com

Newyear2008 gets you $25 off a $50 purchase at Spring Hill Nurseries

736 gets you a free bag of mixed crocuses with any bulb order at Bluestone Perennials

At Wayside Gardens, get a free upgrade to express shipping with code EXPRESSUP

Please comment below to let me know if any of these codes no longer work, or you have a code of your own to share. Happy New Year, and happy shopping.

Ever wonder what happens to plants that aren't sold during the planting season? Well, I suppose if they're dying they're destroyed. But what about the healthy ones? What do wholesalers and growers do with the millions of surplus trees, shrubs and perennials that go unsold each year? Wouldn't it be nice if someone were just giving them away? Turns out, someone is.

Founded in 2004 "to stop the huge waste of trees, shrubs and perennials and to help workers with disabilities earn a paycheck," freetreesandplants.com is that someone. The organization hires disabled workers to process, package and send unsold plants to anyone who reserves them, absolutely free of charge. Gardeners are charged $7.95 per unit of plants, which covers processing, packaging and shipping. A "unit" typically refers to a pair, so that's two plants delivered to your door for $7.95.

“This spring planting season has posed a difficult challenge for growers and gardeners alike. We have thousands of perennial plugs, trees, shrubs and bare root perennial plants to find homes for in the next few weeks. Gardeners from across the country could help by reserving one of the more than ninety varieties of perennials, shrubs and trees featured this spring,” said Cheryl Richter, a garden writer and photographer who created the program with her husband, Greg, in their hometown of Lincoln, Neb.

“Each year millions of healthy high-quality plants go unsold and are destroyed,” Cheryl Richter explained. “They go to the dump, are plowed under or get burned or buried. Every plant we save and select for our program is as good as, or better than, those featured in garden centers and renowned garden catalogs. This unusual spring has made this problem even worse.”

“Our concept began when we recognized that there is a terrible waste of living things when unsold plants are thrown away,” Greg Richter said. “We are believers in direct action and social responsibility, and we do not ask for or accept donations. Our program does not seek charitable designation.”

As of today, there were 11 varieties of shrubs, 14 varieties of trees and 60 different perennials to choose from.

Just quickly want to let you know about a Web site that posts current sales and ever-elusive, never-available-when-you-need-'em discount codes for seeds, plants and garden supplies. For a listing of online deals, from nurseries and garden product catalogs and Web sites, visit GardenBargainsOnline.com.