COLUMBUS, Ohio – With Arbor Day still fresh in plant lovers’ minds and Mother's Day soon to come, the annual Spring Plant Sale, Auction, and Gardening Fair at Ohio State University's Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens is expected to draw a crowd.
More than 650 varieties of uncommon plants and proven performers for Ohio's climate and soil conditions will be available. The event is set for Friday and Saturday, May 11-12, with a members-only event on the evening of Thursday, May 10. Anyone can become a member at the gate.
Gardeners looking for unusual selections will want to make sure they attend one of the sale's auctions, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
"The event supports the programs and operations of Chadwick," said Mary Maloney, arboretum director. "All three days will feature a plant auction.
"We’ll have herbs, annuals, perennials, trees shrubs and garden art, with many vendors including some student vendors, some outside vendors and the Chadwick Arboretum volunteers.”
The auctions generally last for an hour and a half to two hours. A list of auction items and a comprehensive list (16 pages long) of everything expected to be available at the sale are both on the arboretum's website, http://chadwickarboretum.osu.edu.
The sale is open to the public 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 11 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. The members-only event, including a pre-sale reception, is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, May 10. Anyone wishing to become a member on site can do so quickly if they bring a completed application form, available on the Chadwick Arboretum website (http://go.osu.edu/chadmember) with payment made payable to Ohio State University.
This year, the event is located at the northwest corner of Lane Avenue and Fred Taylor Drive, one block east of Rt. 315. Parking is available nearby. After purchasing items, customers can drive up to the sale site where volunteers will load their car. A map is also available on the website.
Offerings at the plant sale include native plants, heirloom vegetables, herbs, hostas and other perennials, annuals and tropicals, hanging baskets, unusual and dwarf conifers, rain garden plants, roses, as well as garden art and gifts for Mother's Day.
Plant Ambassadors, horticulture students and faculty, Franklin County Master Gardeners, the Central Ohio Hosta Society, and many other experts will be on hand to help with plant selections.
Visitors to the sale also may want to visit the nearby Chadwick gardens. More information is on the website at http://chadwickarboretum.osu.edu.