Thrifty Acres: The Neighborhood Plant Sale

Hello! Yesterday our neighborhood association held its annual perennial sale - perennial plants, that is! 

In advance of the sale, residents were reminded to dig up and pot perennials to donate. A few hours before the sale began, the plants were dropped off and then sorted by size at the host house. So by the time the sale began, there were a variety of perennials for sale - all priced by size, but all at a reasonable cost. 

We donated four plants to the sale, and in return purchased several:

The main drawback to a donated plant sale is that information on the plants is dependent on how much the donators know about them. The aster in the above photo has its variety name listed, and the larger sign to the left warns that the plant may be invasive. But I also saw plants labeled with just a name: "raspberry", for instance. 

But no matter; it's still a win-win situation for everyone who participates in such a sale! Garderners divide up perennials that need to be thinned, and in return there's the opportunity to purchase perennials at substantial savings over buying them at local nurseries. We ended up paying ten dollars for six plants. 

If your neighborhood doesn't have its own perennial sale, why consider having one? You can even turn the event into a potluck party, as our association did yesterday. It was a good opportunity to talk to neighbors both old and new. 

Now, to find new homes for our new plants!