STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

A rare chance to purchase Idaho native plants will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today—Saturday, June 3—in Bellevue.

The plant sale will be held at the Hunger Coalition’s greenhouses at 110 Honeysuckle St. in Bellevue. Idaho Native Plant Society members will be allowed to purchase plants between 9 and 10 a.m. Not a member? You can purchase a membership on site.

The sale is being organized by the Wood River Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society and The Hunger Coalition.

There’ll be about 50 plants of each species available in 4-inch and 1-gallon containers, according to Mindy Rider, the Hunger Coalition Food Production supervisor. Plants being offered for sale include blue flax, yellow monkey flower, scarlet globemallow, mountain hollyhock, hot rock penstemon, Rocky Mountain penstemon and Venus penstemon.

Drought-tolerant non-natives, such as Indian blanketflower and California poppy, will also be available.

“Idaho native plants are well adapted to our climate and a boon to native pollinators,” said  Kristin Fletcher, president of the Wood River Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society. “Many look gorgeous while happily growing in dry conditions.  Unfortunately, they’re often very difficult to find. But Mindy is an expert at growing them and has incorporated many natives and drought tolerant species at the Coalition’s campus.  Now she’s helping to make Idaho natives more available to the public.”