While hundreds of drivers pass the Community Arboretum’s vibrant flower beds on Colonial Avenue each day, and many local families have enjoyed the gardens as a scenic location for weddings, proms, photography sessions and other events, few people may realize how much the be-loved landmark depends on community support to maintain its beauty and educational potential.

The Arboretum, which spans two acres on the campus of Virginia Western Community College, does not receive state funding for upkeep of the gardens. Charitable donations, volunteer efforts and plant sales help pay for site improvements and day-to-day operations of the Arboretum.

“The plant sales give the community an opportunity to purchase locally grown plants for a good cause, and they also promote education,” said Clark BeCraft, Horticulture Program Head.

There are four plant sales each year, generally on the same seasonal schedule: a spring perennial sale in early April, a spring bedding and vegetable sale in early May, a fall pansy and perennial sale in mid-September and a poinsettia sale in early December. All sales take place at the Virginia Western Greenhouse and Natural Science Center and its parking lot.

Read more about the ways plant sales help the Arboretum in this story by Allison Taylor for Impact magazine. The Community Arboretum’s Poinsettia Sale, open to the public, is Friday, Dec. 5, from 3-6 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.