Plenty of locally-grown plants, and advice on how to make them prosper, can be found at an upcoming plant sale presented by the Garden Club of Ellijay.
Local Garden Club members will hold the plant sale Saturday, May 21, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at the Lions Club Fairgrounds, 1729 South Main Street. It will go on rain or shine.
The garden club plans to have around 2,600 plants available for purchase at the event, noted Lori McCurdy, club member.
“That was kind of our goal for the year. (When we last met), we had over 2,500 plants and were working toward 2,600,” she added.
That will include more than 125 species of perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, vegetables and houseplants, as well as dish gardens and succulents, McCurdy noted.
The annual sale normally offers several plants that may be tough to find anywhere else, and all of them come directly from the personal gardens of club members. Popular items sold at past plant sales include deer-resistant plants, several varieties of ferns and pollinator plants, McCurdy noted.
“They all come from the garden club. We dig up our gardens,” she added. “We will have pollinator plants, things that attract hummingbirds and bees. We have several people who are experts on that if people have questions.”
Planting and plant care advice given by garden club members is also a popular feature of the sale.
“Members will be on hand to answer questions and help you set your purchases in holding while you shop. The Garden Club members know about the plants because they’ve got them growing in their yards,” McCurdy said.
There will be some garden carts available for customers to use while shopping, but customers are also welcome to bring their own carts along, McCurdy noted. Pets such as dogs should be left at home, she added.
Proceeds from Garden Club plant sales go toward the club’s various community beautification projects, which include maintaining the decorative sidewalk planters around downtown Ellijay and the planted area around the Fort Hetzel monument in East Ellijay. Club members also take part in projects that involve students at Gilmer schools, including an annual Arbor Day tree planting.