Florafest a plant market hosted by UTEP’s Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, took place on Sept. 28, offering the El Paso community the opportunity to buy and learn about native plants and support the museum and gardens.
Within ten minutes of opening, Florafest welcomed hundreds of customers eager to purchase a diverse assortment of plants. The plants for sale included cacti, grasses, ground cover, perennials, shrubs, succulents, trees, fruit trees and vines.
Kevin Floyd is the botanical curator for Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens and the primary organizer for Florafest. He explained the significance of the plant sale for both the community and the museum.
“There’s really two main functions for Florafest, one is to provide native plants that aren’t otherwise available to people,” said Floyd. “Native plants tend to be better in terms of using less water, providing food for wildlife, and can be really beautiful as well. We’re trying to provide that service to the community and then the other important part of this is that it’s our primary fundraiser for the gardens.”
2024 marked the 33rdyear the museum has held the native plant sale, and its fourth year hosting the event in the fall alongside the spring sale. As temperatures begin to drop, Floyd noted that this timing is ideal for customers to start planting, allowing plants to establish themselves in their new environment.
An El Paso native, Lulu House shared her experience as a first-time customer at Florafest.
“I like it, it’s getting (plants) quick and easy,” said House. “This is my first year doing it, but I’m trying to plant native for environmental reasons and supporting the university.”
For those who may not be as experienced with gardening or plants that are native to the region, the event offers a place to learn and get guidance from experts on what plants to choose and how to properly take care of them.
“We always have master gardeners and other experts here (in case) people don’t know what to do, they can come and get a lot of great advice,” said Floyd. “(We) encourage people to come out, learn about native plants, embrace the Chihuahuan desert, and support the gardens.”
For Laura Ponce, one of the main reasons she attends Florafest is the opportunity to receive expert help and advice.
“When you go to regular box stores, they don’t really tell you what actually will work in this environment,” said Ponce. “They sell things that look pretty and some of them may work, some of them don’t. But here it’s really nice to have the expertise of the local gardeners to let us know which plants are actually going to require very little water and look beautiful in our yards.”
Florafest is not the only event where visitors get a chance to learn more about native plants; the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an exhibit in the museum called “Cultivating Your Home: Embracing Chihuahuan Desert Diversity.”
The exhibition will explore the biodiversity of the desert El Pasoans call home, and the benefits native plants bring to homes including saving water and providing food for butterflies, bees and birds. The exhibition’s opening reception will be held on Oct. 12 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Centennial Museum.
The UTEP Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens plans to host its next Florafest Spring 2025.
Ximena Cordero is a staff reporter for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected]
