Civic Garden Center Plant Sale

You have to get up pretty early in the morning to shop the annual Civic Garden Center plant sale. The sale started at 9 a.m., Saturday. I arrived at 9:40 to an already bustling crowd. As I drove past the center, people were already exiting with boxes, baskets, carts, and wagons full of plants. A line of cars had formed at the plant pick-up area. I had to find parallel parking three blocks away. Thirty minutes later, my parking spot was considered prime real estate.

Perhaps I have a novice's ignorance, but I didn’t think the sale lived up to its hype. Prices were average and so was the selection. There were some unusual offerings, like plants for the water garden, as well as the ubiquitous hostas. I was delighted to find both Corsican mint and elfin thyme, two of the latest additions to my plant wish list. However, Corsican mint is not hardy in our zone and I’ve already ordered elfin thyme from Mulberry Creek Herb Farm. I was looking for a flat of hollyhocks because my seedlings look rather pathetic. Unfortunately, the cheapest hollyhock plants were $5 a pot. I’m holding out for some WalMart cheapies.

I did come away with a box of booty: four pots of creeping veronica (to plant between the stepping stones leading to the faucet), one Johnny jump up, and a free issue of Horticulture magazine. I suspect that the prize plants disappeared before I arrived. Next year, I’ll be standing in line at 8:30 a.m.