Spring to Spring Reflections

Kara Barndollar at 2025 Spring Plant Sale

by Kara Barndollar, PPRV Native Plant Nursery Manager

April is upon us and so begins the countdown to the much anticipated spring plant sale, taking place this year on Sunday, April 26th! This month gives not only this momentous occasion for our plant and pollinator loving community to come together, but also marks a year that I have had the joy of being a part of PPRV!

I arrived on the PPRV scene just weeks before the 2025 Spring Sale, and dove right into the whirlwind and frenzy of plant tags and price tags and name tags and elaborate spreadsheets and trying my best to remember the names of and win the favor of our extensive network of volunteers. I began diligently taking inventory of plants (many which I had never heard of), killed a couple Oregon sunshine before realizing I needed to cool it on the watering, and successfully made it smoothly through the sale thanks to organizational groundwork and guidance from Zhu, my wonderful and widely-adored, predecessor!

2025 Spring Plant Sale shoppers

Coming into this upcoming sale, I have such a stronger, more in depth relationship with so many of these plants - and people! - now that I have spent the past year getting to know them. I have known these plants through so many iterations of form–from collecting seeds from once vibrant flower heads, separating them from chaff, sowing flats upon flats, to patiently awaiting the emergence of tiny cotyledons which indicate we’ve successfully accomplished what nature does without a thought.

Believe it or not, we started preparing for the spring plant sale around June of last year. Really! As soon as some early blooming annuals began to set seed, we were off. All summer and into fall we were collecting seed at just the right time, keeping careful inventory of sources and varieties, and cleaning them from their chaff. Many have shared, and I agree, that the simple act of sitting around a table cleaning seeds is a profoundly enjoyable and deeply human experience. 

Nicole, Kara, Liam, Payton, and Randy cleaning seeds

Once fall hits and everyone is preparing to slow and hunker down for the coming winter is actually when the majority of our planting happens! With just a dozen volunteers we managed to plant thousands of seeds in an afternoon - and then the waiting began.

Zhu advising volunteers during fall seed sowing

Some things sprout relatively quickly (especially given the unseasonably warm fall and winter, but that’s a different story), while many seeds take months to break dormancy (even following an artificial cold wet stratification). Just last week I was about ready to give up on a tray of leopard lily, collected and seeded by our very own Nicole Hartsough, when sure enough - they began to sprout! 

Fast forward to spring, and we are scrambling around the nursery, once again working tirelessly to get everything potted up and labeled and organized before the big day. It is amazing how much work gets done in our 1,000 square foot nursery, and none of it would be possible without our mighty team! PPRV is truly not just about the plants and pollinators, but also the people who adore them.

Kara, Nicole, Louise, and Randy potting up seedlings in the Nursery

One thing that first earned PPRV my confidence was the dedication of its volunteers. Randy and Nicole have committed years of Friday afternoons to keeping this place organized (looking at you, Randy!) and running smoothly, Bryan helps with so many of those big things that need doing, Zhu has a full time job but still makes the time to lend a hand, a team of very busy experts provide their expertise during plant sales to help educate shoppers about the plants, Arti is teaching me botany and Latin in any spare moments she’s not helping out in the Nursery, the team at our Ashland Community Food Bank garden - LorrieAnne, Deb, and Gwyn, provide us with so much seed for our inventory, and newer volunteers like Emmanuel show up on Saturdays - all continuing to expand and strengthen our mission. 

And then we have volunteers, like Bruce, Fox, Laura, Sharon, Max, Karen, and others, who show up to help with special events, like seed sowing days and workshops.

Volunteers at a cuttings workshop - thanks, Bruce and Laura!

Beyond that, thanks to Kristina’s tenacious quest to get everyone who’s anyone involved with PPRV, we have been joined by some wonderful interns from SOU, OSU, and Southern Oregon Youth Works! Shoutout to Matt, Anthony, Saturn, Mozie, and Charlie for the unique skills and perspectives - and great support - you have brought to our team!

SOYW interns Saturn, Mozie, and Charlie working on our new 4th Street garden

Whew - that was a whirlwind of just some of what has happened since last Spring! We are growing more varieties than ever before, as well as larger quantities (even though we don’t have our new, larger nursery space yet… don’t get me started on where we’ve been storing everything!). It is so satisfying to see the plants leave the Nursery - many through a sale, but others destined for a school garden or community-based project.

I hope to see you at this year's Spring Plant Sale! Some of our favorite vendors - Klamath Siskiyou Native Seeds and Cornucopia Acres, along with the Native Plant Society of Oregon, Siskiyou Chapter, will be there, and it’s sure to be a great time - as always!

Volunteers at Fall Sale 2025