Volunteers make it work – BBG’s Spring Plant Sale begins today

Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Native plant volunteers at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale at Brookwood Village

“It’s the mother of all plant sales.”

That is how John Manion from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens  describes the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Plant Sale, which will be held today, April 7th through Sunday April 9th at Brookwood Village. The event is free.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Partridge Pea – excellent butterfly host and nectar plant

 

 

Over 100,000 plants – including native plants, roses, orchids, tomato plants, shrubs, herbs, ferns and much, much more will be available.

The number of varieties of plants are staggering.  For example, there will be 200 species of native plants on hand. Do you like tomatoes?  There will be 84 different kinds to choose from.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Tomato plants

As longtime volunteer Susan Colvin aptly depicted the sale for plant lovers – “You see plants here you only drool over in catalogs. And there are lots of experts (BBG volunteers and staff) on hand to give you advice.”

What makes the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale all the more special is the dedication of the volunteers and the fact that the proceeds from the sale of the plants go toward Birmingham Botanical Gardens educational programs.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Orchids

“Many of the native plants, for sale were raised by Birmingham Botanical Gardens volunteers, and those same volunteers will be here throughout the weekend selling them, ” stated Blake Ells, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Public Relations Coordinator.

According to Ells, the proceeds from the sale support BBG educational programs such as their flagship Discovery Field Trips programs. Up to 10,000 Birmingham and Bessemer students participate in this free science -based curriculum.  The plant sale also supports the Plant Adventures and Centennial Tree Project.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Fire Pink – butterfly and nectar plant

Another volunteer and native plant enthusiast Sally Price summed up why the BBG Spring Plant Sale is so special – “The majority of the people here throughout the weekend are volunteers. It’s one of the ways we keep the Birmingham Botanical Gardens free to public. “

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale is a “can’t miss” experience.  It’s more than a sale.  It is led by passionate volunteers who love the natural world and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Here are the hours for this weekend’s sale held in the parking lot behind Brookwood Village:

Friday – 9am to 7:00pm,
Saturday – 9am to 5:00pm
Sunday – 11am to 3:00pm

Happy planting!

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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