Plant Sale

Annual Plant Sale
General Public Information

NWHS Spring Plant Sale

Satruday May 13th, 10 am to 3 pm
St Thomas More Collegiate - 7450 12th Avenue Burnaby
Out front under the overhang, enter parking lot off Kingsway at 12th Ave.

We will have a wonderful variety of shady and sunny perennials. Vegetable seedlings include tomatoes.

Information for Members

PLANT SALE TIME IS UPON US

The Spring Plant sale is our main fundraiser of the year.  We, the club members, are the active participants and the beneficiaries of the effort.  We reap what we sell. Please either donate, buy or both!!

Potting: Hopefully while you have been doing your spring garden clean-up you have been dividing and potting up as well.  Ideally it should be at least 3 weeks before the sale. (Which is now!)  If herbaceous, you want them potted before the top growth becomes lush.  We want the roots to grow in the pots before the tops take off. Even if not herbaceous, if you get them into pots the roots will grow during these cooler times. Top growth will then have a good support system when it grows when the weather warms.  Don’t compress the roots horizontally in the pot.  Try to hold them vertical while you add the soil.  This will enable new roots to grow faster and stronger.  Remember – No Invasive type plants.  If you don’t want it in your garden, we should not be selling it!

Caring for: Water well after planting and then regularly to ensure they don’t dry out.  Be extra diligent if the weather heats up.  Keep/hold your potted plants, especially Hosta, in a warm sunny spot – Yes even shade plants. Hopefully,
it will get those leaves to appear.  Just before sale time, take a critical look at your plants.  Snip any discoloured leaves off at their bases so there is no indication they were ever there.  Clip off brown leaf tips. Once the plants are potted, the next step (besides nurturing them) is creating a Plant label/Tag and price for each pot.  Please also send Sharon, Lorna or Audrey a list of plants you will be donating as Audrey has a large stock of photos of plants at maturity to be inserted in pots.  Also, it aids Sharon in mentally organizing the tables before the plants are on site.

Pots & labels: If you need pots or labels, they can be picked up at Audrey’s at 117 Seventh Ave. New West. Give her a call (before 6pm) or email first before you drop over.  Some things are hidden.  If you need a large quantity of labels, please give her a couple of days’ notice.  Contact Audrey before 6pm or by email.

Plant Labels: Every plant must have its own label.  Put as much information as you can on the plant tag.  Sun exposure, size (height & spread), flower/fruit/foliage colour. Each little bit adds to the desirability of your plant.  We use recycled cut up vinyl 1” venetian blinds.  Write the plant info on the outside curve of the tag. It is preferable to reserve the inside curve for the price.  All plants must be tagged & priced prior to arrival at the sale.  Use a pencil (HB or softer) to write the info on the label.

Pricing: Along with this info sheet are the 2023 Pricing Guidelines with some helpful hints & other info. It will aid you in what we think our plants will sell at.  If everyone follows it, our pricing should be relatively consistent.  All prices must be multiples of 50¢.  If you need assistance, consult Sharon at least a week before the sale.  We suggest holding off on pricing until the final week before the sale so you can evaluate your plants.   Use a Sharpie to put price on back of plant label so it is clearly visible and stands out.
Boxes: We need boxes/flats for our customers to take home their treasures.  Deliver Friday or Saturday to the sale. 
Publicity: Small ¼ page size to handout to your friends, co-workers were available at April’s meeting, and we will have again at the May meeting.  Letter size are also available if you have a good spot to post them.   Audrey will have them also at the May meeting.  Just let her know where you will be putting them.   There may still be a couple of lawn signs available if you are in a high foot traffic area.  Contact Audrey about those.
Plant Delivery: Deliver Friday May 12th to St. Thomas More under the overhang at the front. (Time to be confirmed)
Volunteers: If you haven’t signed up to volunteer on Sale Day yet – Please contact Carole Forsythe (carole@newwesthortsociety.org) as she may have one or two needed spots available. Trucks will be needed for plant & equipment transfer before and after the sale.
Questions: Contact Sharon, Carole, or Lorna.