Fall and winter is a great time to plant big perennials, like blueberry bushes and trees. Willow Frederick, manager of Sunrise Nursery in Winterville, plans on pairing planting with volunteering this holiday season.
Sunrise Nursery workers and volunteers will beautify the Athens Area Homeless Shelter at 620 Barber St. on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 10:30 a.m. Volunteers and nursery workers plan to plant a pollinator garden, blueberry bushes and other donated plants that morning.
“Fall is a great time for [planting],” Frederick said. “You just want to mulch it up and water it. It’ll do great over the winter.”
One of the nursery’s volunteers mentioned the homeless shelter as a place that could use some plant love, Frederick said. “I could see how much possibility it has,” she said after visiting the site. “It would be nice to make it so much more welcoming and communal.”
I am biased when it comes to Sunrise Nursery. I’ve bought quite a few things from them in the past three years, including a pink pussywillow that will look spectacular with another year or two of growth.
I met Frederick at Marigold Market, where she started selling plants as a way to market the nursery opening. Sunrise Nursery, at 550 Athens Lane in Winterville, is in the same location as the old Thyme After Thyme, which closed in 2012 and was well known for its local plant selection and big, friendly golden dogs.
Frederick continued the tradition of local plants and even has Tux, a black-and-white pup, on site to greet customers with a wag. She came to Sunrise with no horticulture background, but a determination to learn fast and succeed. She previously worked as an occupational therapist. When coronavirus became a household name, the nursery owner approached her about a career change. Since then, the business has focused on supplying Georgia native plants, eliminating pesticide use and providing good gardening information to customers. “This has been a whole exciting new opportunity,” Frederick said.
Part of what Sunrise Nursery plans on doing in the next year is getting more involved in the community and doing more volunteering. “This is a really great first community project,” she said.
If you or someone on your Christmas gift list are in the market for a new fruit perennial, Frederick said there are blueberries, elderberries and dwarf mulberries still in stock. Elderberries are wind pollinated (like corn) and produce the best crop when there’s at least two different plants, placed not too far away from each other. Berries should be cooked before being eaten, because the leaves, uncooked seeds and stems of the elderberry bush are poisonous and can cause intestinal distress. Elderberries could be a great choice for fast-growing perennial cover in the summer, with the side benefit of a fun food for birds and humans. It might not be a good choice if you have small children grabbing and stuffing most things in their mouths. I have two elderberry bushes I’m planting this fall near the back door to provide some privacy from the side neighbor in the summer.
Mulberries, on the other hand, come with no caveats from me. I have a huge mulberry tree, and the tart, tasty fruit is something I love to eat and share with my friends—human, goat and chicken alike. Mulberries, despite their flavor, aren’t common in grocery stores because of their short shelf life. In the fridge, without rinsing, they last about five days. Dwarf mulberries typically max out at 10 feet. This variety might be a good option for folks who are looking for a good-looking tree that produces fun, uncommon fruit. Be forewarned, children and birds alike will be excited about this tree. Right now, Sunrise Nursery is only open a few hours on weekends. The business will be closed for regular hours after the Dec. 10 weekend. After that, they’ll only be open by appointment until March. You can schedule your appointment, as well as learn more about the nursery at sunrisenursery.info.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
