Versatile plants that provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies and bees and add splendor to the landscape will take center stage at the Native Plant Center’s 18th annual Native Plant Sale, which will be held April 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Westchester Community College in Valhalla. NPC members may enter at 9:30 a.m. Admission is free.

More than 3,000 plants representing 100-plus species and varieties will be available, including those that attract pollinators, monarch butterflies, hummingbirds and songbirds. “Native plants are special and are sought out by more people each year,” says Carol Capobianco, director of the NPC. “The sale keeps growing as gardeners recognize the wildlife value and beauty of native plants.”

The NPC will offer its two plant of the year picks for 2017: spicebush (Lindera benzoin), a deciduous shrub that has fragrant yellow flowers in early spring, red fruit that attracts birds and aromatic leaves that turn yellow in fall; and wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), whose masses of lavender-pink flowers attract pollinators to shade gardens, and whose seeds are eaten by birds and mammals. Also available will be garden favorites such as phlox (Phlox spp.), coralbells (Heuchera spp.) and asters (Symphyotrichum spp.); attractive grasses, ferns and shrubs; and a few surprises not easily found in nurseries.

Native plant specialists will be on hand throughout the sale to answer questions and assist gardeners in choosing the best options for their sites.

For more info, visit NativePlantCenter.org or contact the NPC at [email protected] or 914.606.7870.