When you think of a local plant sale, do you picture a tiny, awkwardly staffed event offering a few dozen
plant varieties? If this is you, local plant sales can be a hard sell, especially when you could easily shop at
a garden center with a big inventory and easy shopping. Here in Ramsey County, however, we’re
fortunate to be overrun with exceptional plants sales. With practice and preparation, you can shop
successfully, save money, make an investment in your community and have a blast.
The dollars you spend at plant sales may go to a worthy cause, like kids’ scholarships or helping a
horticulture group be accessible to people who can’t afford the membership fees. Check into what a sale
is raising money for and then shop where your heart leads—if you need to buy plants anyway, why not
simultaneously make a difference in people’s lives?
Prices at local plant sales can be hard to beat. Some sales take plant donations from their organization’s
members or partner with growers and sell them at retail for as little as $3. As long as the quality is high,
don’t hesitate to start small since perennials will expand with time and TLC.
A local plant sale can be a lively community hub. At my favorite plant sale (where I regularly volunteer), I
look forward to seeing fellow volunteers, neighbors, friends and coworkers—there are always familiar
faces. Once, while I was volunteering at a sale, a shopper introduced herself (she was a friend of a fellow
volunteer) and asked if she could hire me to work in her garden. I ended up helping prep her drop-dead
gorgeous landscape for a garden club tour and earned enough cash to buy myself expensive pruners.
There’s no question that I make more connections and happy memories at local plant sales than any
plant nursery.
The inventory at a local sale is often adapted to your hardiness zone, and some sales offer more unique
plant varieties than big box stores. As a bonus, chances are good you’ll interact with a gardener who has
experience with the plant. If the organization running the sale is relying on word of mouth (rather than
advertising) to promote their sale, they’ll probably knock themselves out to help you.
Myself, I spend the bulk of my gardening budget at local plant sales, which are a social highlights of my
year. But I do spend time getting ready. It’s been fun making plant shopping preparations one of my
spring rituals.
Preparation Tips
Here are some ways to think about local plant sales that may help you decide where to shop and how to
be successful:
Are the plants certified? If they aren’t, then you have no guarantee that the plants haven’t comingled with annoying weeds or been treated with pesticides. Take a moment to find out if the growers were vetted by the organization selling them.
Can you pre-order? Some sales are run this way and others are definitely not. Also, check if there are perks available, such as VIP early shopping in exchange for a volunteer shift.
If the plants aren’t bar coded, how does the check-out process work? Spend some time reading any “how to do the sale” materials. For instance, does the organization have a tally sheet that you can prepare ahead of time to streamline your checkout experience? Trust me, researching the logistics will be worth it on the day you shop.
How do you haul your plants and do you need to bring a wagon or cart? If the sale offers cardboard flats, bring an extra box in case they run out. In other words, come prepared to haul—in comfort—more plants than you plan to buy. If the plants are well-priced, the temptation to impulse shop can be overwhelming, and you don’t want to abort your plant browsing because of sore arms.
Is the sale popular, and should you arrive early to line up at the door? Will you need to carve out several hours that day? What could be more appealing to an avid gardener than taking a day off work to get first crack at awesome plants? Check the organization’s social media site or website or ask veteran shoppers for clues. And if waiting in line sounds tedious, drag a gardener friend along, bring coffee and use the time in line to catch up.
Make a list of what you need, and if the sale posts its inventory in advance, edit your list based on the
most current information.
While it’s probable that a local plant sale accepts credit cards, check if cash or a check will be needed.
Last but not least, dress for the weather. Plant sales often happen in May, and May weather is fickle. Remember: we can see 70⁰ F one day and snowflakes the next. If the sale is outdoors and happens rain or shine, you can become miserable in no time if showers roll in. It’d be a pity to have to abandon shopping because you left your gear at home.
If you haven’t shopped a local plant sale, I hope you consider supporting your community and benefitting
an organization that you care about (and get some terrific plants in the bargain). Interview your gardener
friends for their favorite venues, check out the plant sale lists published by organizations like Northern
Gardener (MN Hort. Society), do an internet search using the keywords “extension master gardener” and
“plant sale,” or watch your voting district’s event calendar in their newsletter. And when all your
preparations are finished, don’t forget to have fun!
Tina lives near Como Lake in Saint Paul and has been a Master Gardener volunteer since 2013. As a
citizen gardener, her passions are pollinator and hummingbird habitat, and she hopes to improve her
vegetable gardening skills beyond herbs and radishes.