BBG Spring Plant Sale going virtual
With the safety of our community top of mind, the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens has announced that it will host its annual Spring Plant Sale—our largest plant sale fundraiser of the year—online in April 2021.
The sale is the largest plant sale fundraiser of the year for the Gardens. Hundreds of plants that have been specially selected for our region by six of the Friends’ dedicated volunteer growing groups will be available for online purchase and self-loading pickup at the Gardens.
Shoppers will have the opportunity to choose from dozens of varieties of natives, ferns, perennials, herbs, tropicals, houseplants, trees and shrubs, which will be available via a new e-commerce website currently under development. Members of the Friends will enjoy priority access to shop the site April 15–16. The online sale will be open to the public April 17– 18. Orders will be fulfilled and shoppers may choose their preferred pickup time on Friday, April 23 (members) or April 24–25 (public).
“After the sale’s cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are thrilled that this popular event will return in 2021,” said Tom Underwood, executive director of the Friends. “Because our Spring Plant Sale is staffed by volunteers and normally draws more than 5,000 attendees, we decided to move the 2021 sale online as we continue to do all we can to keep our community safe while also raising much-needed funds for the Gardens and helping Birmingham prepare to get outside and grow this spring.”
In conjunction with the Spring Plant Sale and as part of Earth Day weekend, the Friends’ Education & Visitor Experience team will host a free informational Spring Plant Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, in the Formal Garden at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The fair will feature exhibits created by the Library at the Gardens, select Friends growing groups and local plant societies. Exhibits, which will be contactless and encourage social distancing, will highlight 3–5 plants from each group, growing tips, and the plants’ benefits in the garden.
“The Friends’ annual Spring Plant Sale is a wonderful and important part of the fabric of our community, a signal that spring is here,” Underwood. said. “When the 2020 sale was canceled last April, the Birmingham community still found a way to support the Friends’ mission and help us grow a greener tomorrow.”
Last April and May, retail partner Leaf & Petal made available its Deal Depot location as a venue for selling many of the plants already cultivated for the 2020 sale by our Herb Army and Perennial and Native growing groups and then gave back 100% of the profits to benefit the Friends’ mission. In addition, the Friends’ Junior Board hosted a presale of lavender and rosemary to support the Friends’ Kaul Wildflower Garden Native Plant Internship program, and the Native growing group organized presales that sold more than 1,800 plants.
“Efforts like these reflect the genuine commitment of our retail partners, volunteers, and community members both to this signature springtime event and to the Friends’ mission as we come together, even during challenging times, to support the Gardens and all that it makes possible,” Underwood said. “We are grateful for all who give back to the Friends through membership, donations and plant purchases and invite the entire community to join our efforts by shopping the 2021 sale in April.”
A facility of the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens is the result of a public/private partnership between the City of Birmingham and the nonprofit Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, a mission-driven membership organization that seeks to protect, nurture and share the wonders of the Gardens.
To learn more, visit bbgardens.org/spring.
— Submitted by Mindy Black