Plant Sale 2026

Let’s Get Growing: Plant Sale 2026 Preparation Starts Now!

Mark your calendars and get ready for our Plant Sale 2026 on May 9^th! 

In case you haven’t yet heard (and I find that somewhat hard to believe)

We are having our annual plant sale on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 0900 a.m. to noon, at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden in Freedom Park.  We will be busy preparing and setting up on the day before, Friday, May 8^th, starting at 0800 until we are done—expected to be noon-ish, early afternoon. 

Key to our past successes has been maximum Extension Master Gardener participation, working together as a dynamic team, focusing on fun/social interactions and sound financial gains.  Your homegrown donation plants are what bring in the crowds.

Now is the time to mentally prepare for what you plan to do to support our biggest financial event of the year!  Plants, plants, and more plants.  New propagations, divisions, seed-grown plants, rescues, and the purchase of starter plants are good ways to collect specimens for your essential donation.  Consider clearing out garden-related items in your garden shed or garage for the Green Thumb Market.  Handcrafted “art” has done extremely well at previous sales.  Creativity Encouraged.  If you need pots to get started, please let me know — we have plenty of sizes.

As I write this, we still need a few dedicated volunteers to lead functional teams of your fellow EMGs. 

• The Pricing Team Leader(s) and the Green Thumb Market leadership are critical roles and offer a great opportunity for an individual or a team. 
• Our Plant Acquisition team leader, Karen Pfeifer, is looking for another EMG to work with her to create a “wish list” for your donated plants and plan for the starter plant—plant parent—program.
• If you want to take another look at the job descriptions, let me know.  Job satisfaction is high, but $ pay is not so good.

Set-up Day and Sale Day volunteers will again be scheduled on SignUp Genius, and, as in previous years, we will also place it on Better Impact for easier access.  Be on the lookout for our monthly business meetings, also in The Colonial Master Gardener Newsletter, and special blast emails for lots of information as we get further into the planning phase.  The SignUp Genius 2026 is not yet active. I will let you know when it is!

I am looking forward to seeing each and every one of you involved.  Get in touch with me with any questions, concerns, or comments.