14 of the best garden club plant sales for your garden or patio pots
QUINCY – The next two weekends will be especially busy for plant lovers and gardeners, as some of the best buys of the season will be available at the annual plant sales run by local garden clubs.
While the plant sales are a community service – many members donate plants from their own yards – they are also fundraisers, with a competitive spirit.
In Scituate, a line starts forming outside the Mann Farmhouse each year well before the 9 a.m. opening. And in Weymouth, which opens a half hour earlier, there is a similar vibe.
"We've become a townwide favorite," Lisa Kimball, president of the Weymouth Garden Club, said about that club's plant sale. "We have our regulars who know what they can find."
Most of the springtime plant sales are being held this year on the two Saturdays, May 11 and 18, before Memorial Day weekend. There are also a few after that.
What can you find at the plant sales?
Club members across the South Shore prepare for weeks, many digging up and dividing their own plants, including tomatoes, to donate for the sales. The sales raise funds in support of a variety of civic programs.
Some of the clubs will also have certified master gardeners on hand to answer questions and just give advice.
"We have some incredibly accomplished members who are there to share their expertise," Susan MacPherson with the Seaside Gardeners in Marshfield said.
The clubs sell perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, native plants and pollinator plants, house plants and some used garden supplies and arts and crafts. The prices are generally considered very reasonable.
An encouraging new trend is that some clubs are drawing in more younger members to keep the tradition going. Many clubs have been established by loyal older members, some into their 80s and 90s, who welcome the next generation. The Weymouth Garden Club has increased its membership by 45 percent in the past several years, Kimball said, and half of the new members are under 40. Kimball attributed that success to the social media skills of the younger women, with Facebook and Instagram in particular, and their ability to keep updating the club web page.
Kimball, who has a very busy life as a South Shore veterinarian, has found it suits her to have a patio garden, with waist-high containers her husband built.
Escape! Step into a magical wildflower garden in Scituate
Here are some ideas and specifics of where to go, what you might find, why one sale might be especially for you and the ways local garden clubs are making their communities better places to live.
Tips on how to find the best plants
A few rules of thumb: check the starting times and get there early because many of the plants are apt to sell out early. The first hour can be a gold rush for the perennials in particular.
"We open at 8:30 a.m. and people line up early, scouring the plants to see they will go for before they run out," Kimball said.
The clubs generally accept cash and checks. Some also accept credit cards for payment.
Because most of the plants are donated by garden club members, one selling point is, Kimball said, "you know it’s a local product that has been thriving well in our area."
Here are some of the most popular plant sales in the area:
Scituate Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 18, 9 a.m. to noon
WHERE: Mann Farm and Wildflower Garden at 108 Greenfield Lane, Scituate, at the corner of Stockbridge Road and Greenfield Lane
One of the largest local clubs, Scituate's sale has an unusual historic farmhouse and vernal pool setting.
Scituate has traditionally had more than 2,000 plants, including several hundred perennials as well as annuals, dahlias, vegetables and herbs. The dahlias are a specialty: there will be more than 350 available, started in pots and ready to go in the ground.
The vegetables include tomatoes and a variety of herbs. For the second year, there will be four-packs of assorted herb plants (such as an Italian mix with basils and oregano), which were a big hit last year.
A new feature this year will be the cutting garden plants – annual plants whose flowers can easily be cut for bouquets.
Scituate has some 100 native plants, many labelled, in its wildflower garden. Members divide and propagate those native plants and also donate plants from their own gardens. Some grow annuals from seed.
More information is available on the garden club's web site.
Not for picking: Taking a walk though stunning daffodil fields
Weymouth Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 18, 8:30 a.m. to noon
WHERE: The Department of Public Works at 120 Winter St., Weymouth
This club sale features locally grown indoor plants, outdoor plants, and herbs. There will be garden-related raffle prizes, gently-used garden and plant-related items and face painting. Pre-soil testing instructions are available on the garden club website.
Master gardeners will be available to answer questions and give advice on soil testing. (Master gardeners are people who have undergone special horticultural training, often through universities, and are certified by the American Horticultural Society to volunteer as master gardeners in their communities. They give lectures and advice, create gardens and do research.)
This event is also a fundraiser for the Town of Weymouth Scholarship Fund and the town's Education Outreach Fund.
Wollaston Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 18, from 9 a.m. to noon
WHERE: 48 Winthrop Avenue, in the driveway of the Wollaston Congregational Church.
The Wollaston Garden Club will have hardy perennials, annuals, herbs, tomatoes, and other vegetables grown by members and novelty gifts. Proceeds help fund community beautification and lectures open to the public.
"Our focus is our perennials," Kathy Ceurvels, club co-president, said.
Two weeks before the sale, the members divide their own perennials from their yards and then nourish them for sale.
"They are hardy perennials in this area, and we pot them and make sure they are getting enough light and water," Ceurvels said.
The club members will walk around with customers and help them select sun plants, or shade plants, or other specific requests. The Wollaston Garden Club has a new project donating leftover plants from the sale to all the city’s elementary schools free of charge.
The North Quincy branch of the Thomas Crane Public Library, the Wollaston ElementarySchool, Beechwood Knoll School and Montclair School last year selected left-over plants from the sale with the help of members and master gardeners. The plants were used on school property or as classroom teaching aids.
The garden club has also granted scholarships to Quincy high school seniors who are planning to continue their education in the fields of gardening, horticulture or environmental science.
Seaside Gardeners of Marshfield plant sale
WHEN: May 18 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Marshfield Town Hall Training Green, 870 Moraine St, Marshfield
The Marshfield Historical Society is providing the use of the site, which is convenient and provides excellent visibility. The Seaside Gardeners is the oldest community gardening club in Marshfield, started in 1961. Members have dedicated themselves to beautifying projects around town, including the Summer Street island on Route 3A and the gardens at the Winslow House. The club also supports scholarships for the Boys and Girls Club.
Hull Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: in the parking lot of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation by the town sign just past the Hingham District Courthouse on George Washington Boulevard coming into Hull
The Hull Garden Club plant sale features its signature red geraniums, as well as annuals, perennials, hanging plants, patio pots and also plants donated by the members (from their gardens and also their house plants).
Betsy Russo, the club president, said there will be a resource table with information on invasive plants and also tips on what will grow in your garden, depending on soil and sun/shade conditions.
There will also be a table where people can take a small arrangement with a red, white and blue theme in exchange for a $5 donation. That money will support the club's Veterans Account projects throughout town.
Mattakeesett Garden Club in Pembroke plant sale
WHEN: May 18, from 9 a.m. to noon
WHERE: at the Herring Run Park, 142 Barker Street, Route 14
The Mattakeesett Garden Club sale will offer annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. This year there will be some perennials from an estate garden in Hanson that club members dug up. There will also be garden-related items for sale. Payment is accepted by cash or check, there are no arrangements for credit cards.
And don't forget these plant sales
Perennial Gardeners of the South Shore plant sale
WHEN: May 25, 9 a.m. to noon
WHERE: The James Library, 24 West St., Norwell Center.
This Hingham-based club's sale features perennial plants from club members' gardens.
Aptucxet Garden Club of Bourne plant sale
WHEN: May 11, 9:30 a.m. to noon
WHERE: Pocasset Village Community Building, 314 Barlows Landing Road, Pocasset.
Perennials and annuals for sun and shade, limited number of tomato and herb plants, trees and shrubs.
Community Garden Club of Cohasset plant sale
WHEN: May 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: 41 Highland Avenue, Cohasset
The garden club will also be selling plants Thursday, June 6, 2-6 p.m., at the Farmers Market on Cohasset Common, 27 South Main St.
Norwood Evening Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 11, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: Adams Farm, 999 North St., Walpole
Perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, organic vegetables and herbs.
Brockton Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 18, 8:30 to 11 a.m.
WHERE: Brockton Park Department, 45 Meadow Lane, Brockton. The location is off South Main Street, opposite HarborOne Credit Union, former site of the Campello Swimming Pool.
New plants, old favorites, perennials, shrubs, herbs, house plants.
Randolph Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: Saturday, May 25, 9 a.m. to noon.
WHERE: Randolph Town Hall, 41 South Main St, Randolph
Cash, check, or credit card. Rain or shine.
Abington Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: United Church of Christ, 10 Bedford St. Route 18, Abington
Plymouth Garden Club plant sale
WHEN: May 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Plymouth Public Library lawn, 132 South St.
Native plants, shrubs, herbs, perennials, bake sale, boutique table.
Master Gardeners of Cape Cod plant sale
WHEN: May 18, 9 a.m. to noon
WHERE: Cape Cod Fairgrounds, 220 Nathan Ellis Highway, East Falmouth
The club will showcase pollinator-friendly native plants, affordable hydrangeas and rhododendrons, many perennials including succulents and dahlias.
But wait, there's more
The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts has a listing of plants sales and also a collection of flyers of 2024 garden club plant sales in May and early June posted on its website.
The federation represents some 170 garden clubs.
Farewell to nurse Betty Beecher, a shining light in Weymouth
Elizabeth "Betty" Beecher, whose 100th birthday on April 15 was joyfully celebrated by the senior community at Fairing Way in Weymouth, died yesterday, May 5, 2024, at the Pat Roche Hospice Home in Hingham.
Her friends and the staff at Fairing Way admired her greatly for how active and sharp she was since moving there in 2016 at age 92.
I wrote many articles about her dedication to winning more recognition for the Cadet Nurses; she was thrilled to meet former Gov. Charlie Baker in that quest. She was also a volunteer with Friends of the Weymouth Public Libraries.
Betty Beecher will be immeasurably missed. My condolences go out to her family, especially her daughter, Susan Orsini, of Taunton and her son, Mark Beecher, of Braintree, both so devoted and loving, and also to her Fairing Way friendship circle and support team.
Betty, thank you. It was a privilege to know you, always kind, generous, smart and funny.
Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Garden club plant sales offer bargains and beauty
