Friends School of Minnesota Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage 1365 Englewood Avenue PAID Saint Paul, MN 55104 Minneapolis, MN Permit No. 1767 TIME VALUE DATA If you have received a duplicate copy, please let us know, and pass the extra to a friend! North Star Originals 6 The Himalayan Saint Paul, Blue Poppy FROM 35W Minnesota FROM HWY 3 What’s “Native” LARPENTEUR AVENUE SNELLING AVE Mean When It Comes to Plants? Minnesota State Fair Friends School CLEVELAND AVE Plant Sale 280 COMMONWEALTH DAN PATCH MIDWAY PKWY P May 12, 13, 14, 2006 Friday,May 12 36 COMO AVENUE Cleveland 35W Snelling 11:00 A.M.–8:00 P.M. Larpenteur CANFIELD Saturday,May 13 State Fair Grandstand PLANT SALE 9:00 A.M.–8:00 P.M. Y 280 Como G PAR ER K N FROM 94 E Sunday,May 14 Friends School NOON P.M. The native Penstemon grandiflorus 12:00 –4:00 (Large-Flowered Beardtongue), 94 photographed in St. Paul’s At the State Fair Midway area during summer 2005. Grandstand 17th Annual Friends School Plant Sale May 12th, 13th and 14th, 2006 Friday 11:00 A.M.–8:00 P.M.• Saturday 9:00 A.M.–8:00 P.M. Sunday 12:00 NOON–4:00 P.M.Sunday is half-price day at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Friends School of Minnesota Thank you for supporting Friends School of Minnesota by purchasing plants at our sale. Friends School of Minnesota prepares children to embrace life, learning, and community with hope, skill, understanding, and creativity. We are committed to the Quaker values of peace, justice, simplicity and integrity. Located in Saint Paul near Hamline University, the school has a student body of 142 and a faculty of 16. Started by Quakers and peace activists in 1988, Friends School of Minnesota has main- tained a strong commitment to serving families of religious, ethnic and economic diversity. The school’s website address: www.fsmn.org Plant sale phone number: 651-917-0076 Visiting the Boes of Faribault Contents North Star Originals About the School . .2 What’s New . .2 BY CLEM NAGEL How to “Do” the Sale . .3 Saturday Vendor Fair . .4–5 Articles For lo, Container Plants . .10 the winter is past . Himalyan Blue Poppies . .25 the flowers appear North Star Originals . .1 on the earth, Poisonous Plants . .23 the time of singing Veggie Gardening . .27 has come, What’s “Native” Mean? . .26 and the voice of the turtledove Plants is heard in the land. Annual Flowers . .6–13 —Song of Solomon 2:12 Climbing Plants . .28–29 Daylilies . .34 Ferns . .35 Art and Mertyann Boe of North Star Seed & Nursery Fruit Trees . .17 Grasses . .22 lizabeth and I have volun- that grows annuals and perenni- Garden Perennials . .30–42 als from seeds and cuttings that teered at the Friends I have great faith Herbs . .18–19 School Plant Sale for sev- in a seed. Convince me are then sold, directly to retail that you have a seed Hosta . .32 eral years. What a great nurseries and greenhouses there, and I am prepared Lilies . .37 event! It’s a generous around the country. Looking at to expect wonders. Native Wildflowers . .43–45 resource for the community and a fantas- these miniscule plants in their E —Henry D. Thoreau Rare Plants . .24–25 tic fundraiser that supports the school. warm greenhouse home in the Roses . .13 This winter we became involved in a behind-the- middle of winter emphasized for us the amount of Shrubs . .14–16 scenes aspect of the Plant Sale, in which we helped labor involved to grow a plant to market-size. Takes Trees . .17 choose some the varieties for the 2006 Sale. What a lot of pure faith to imagine them getting big Vegetables . .20–21 an eye-opener for us…and lots of fun! enough to look like something that people actually Water Plants . .39 On a Friday in mid-January, we accompanied want to buy. Faith (and experience) is what Henry Woodland Wildflowers . .45 Henry on one of his “plant buying trips.” We went has. And his enthusiasm is contagious! to visit a wholesaler, North Star Seed & Nursery, continued on page 27 Common Name Index . .46 More articles on pages 10, 23, 25, 26 and 27 Latin Name Index . .47 2 Friends School Plant Sale • 2006 About Friends School By Mark Niedermier hank you for looking to Friends A: Friends School is guided by the School for your gardening needs. principles of progressive education. We TOur annual Plant Sale, now in its believe that children learn best when 17th year, has staked out a unique place they work actively to solve problems and among Minnesota gardening events. collaborate with others. We encourage We’re really glad that you have chosen to students to observe the world directly, join us. read, conduct experiments, and ask Many people who shop at the plant questions. Then we ask them to express sale wonder about the school that puts it what they’re learning through writing, on: What is Friends School of speaking, acting, creating visual art, Minnesota? Here are some common making music, and teaching others. questions and answers about FSM. There is a special emphasis on the com- I hope they help you understand us a bit munity life of the classroom and school more, and maybe even consider us for because we view this as preparation for your children’s school. children to participate actively in demo- cratic life as adults. Q: How many students and what grades do Q: Are you a religious school? you have? Q: What are the profits of the Plant Sale used A: Yes, we are affiliated with the A: We enroll around 142 students in for? Religious Society of Friends—better grades kindergarten through eight. The A: Last year’s profit was approximate- known as Quakers. About 20 percent of average lower school (grades K–4) class- ly $110,000. We hope to do even better our students come from Quaker families. room has about 18 students and the this year. All profit directly supports the The other students come from a wide average middle school (grades 5–8) school program, particularly our need- variety of religious denominations, but classroom has about 18–20 students. based financial aid program. Over our their families share an affinity with the school’s 18-year history, we have provid- Q: Where is Friends School located? ethical culture of Friends School. ed over $2 million in need-based We are located near the intersection Q: What is the mission of Friends School? financial aid. Each purchase you make at of Hamline and Englewood Avenues in A: Friends School of Minnesota the Plant Sale helps to ensure that a the Hamline-Midway area of St. Paul, prepares children to embrace life, learn- Friends School education is available to about a mile southeast of the Plant ing, and community with hope, skill, children regardless of a family’s ability Sale’s State Fairgrounds location. About understanding, and creativity. We are to pay. 50 percent of our students come from St. committed to the Quaker values of Paul, about 40 percent from I hope these few points are a helpful Mark Niedermier is Head peace, justice, simplicity, and integrity. Minneapolis, and the remaining 10 start for learning about Friends School. of School at Friends percent from throughout the metro area. Q: What is the school’s educational Thank you for your support! School of Minnesota. philosophy? YearTwo at the Grandstand Key s we get ready for the 17th This year, as costs have continued to Saturday Shipments Í Full sun Friends School of Minnesota rise for the greenhouses (how was your If you haven’t been to the Plant Sale ∏ Part sun/part shade APlant Sale, there’s a lot of news heating bill?), we have made the deci- on Saturday morning in the last few Ó Shade to share. sion to raise the price of the $1 perenni- years, you may not know that we’ve been ˜ Native als to $1.50. The good news is that the restocking. So just because something ˝ How Grand Was the Grandstand? Ground cover plants from the newer grower, which sells out on Friday doesn’t mean we ‰ Most of the shoppers we heard from Rock garden were $2, are now also $1.50—less con- won’t have more. We have provided a ´ Edible flowers thought the move to the Grandstand was fusing for everyone, and we hope, on new notation in the catalog (ß), which  Medicinal a success. We were all a lot drier and average, about the same level of bargain indicates whether a restocking shipment Ç Culinary usually warmer, even though the building for you, our customers. is expected on Saturday. Remember, ß Saturday restock is unheated! The bathrooms were a hit restocking happens early on Saturday and the aisles were wider…the solid floor Shrubs and Trees on Parade (before the sale opens for the day), so the About the made it easier to move, and the fact that We went a little crazy with the shrubs newly arrived plants may be gone if you alphabet we could forego using hay meant fewer this year. In case you haven’t thought arrive later in the day. Throughout, we have allergic reactions and an easier passage about shrubs or trees for your yard, this tried to alphabetize for everyone. might be the year to plant some of these Sunday Is Half-Price by the main common We did learn a lot of ways we could lower-maintenance beauties, which can name of each plant, Once again, all remaining plants will with variant common improve from last year, as you might bring structure to your garden and often be sold at half price on Sunday, from names following the expect.