The annual Marblehead Garden Club Plant Sale is back for its 92nd year. The town’s oldest continuously running plant sale is Saturday, May 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Jeremiah Lee Mansion, 161 Washington St., Marblehead.
In the event of rain, the sale will take place on Sunday, May 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Admission to the event is free.
Enjoy the Lee Mansion’s beautiful grounds while browsing a wide selection of plants for the home garden, including perennials, annuals, wildflowers, herbs, ground cover plants and rock garden plants.
Plants for sale include offerings from the Lee Mansion Gardens. These cherished favorites include Solomon’s Seal, Lady’s Mantle, Double White Bloodroot, Mayapple and Trillium.
A new feature this year is the MGC’s “Ask the Expert,” which will have members available to answer shoppers’ questions and provide gardening tips.
“The Marblehead Garden Club Plant Sale is a unique experience because most of the plants at the sale are either from the Lee Mansion Gardens or were locally grown by club members,” says MGC President Vicki Boyle.
The MGC Plant Sale will offer a wide variety of native New England plants to use in your own garden.
“Native New England plants co-evolved with local pollinators including bumblebees, beetles, flies, moths and butterflies,” explained MGC Master Gardener Mary Krull. ”Over recent decades, their habitat has severely decreased, and our local pollinators have become endangered. We can help reverse this loss by including native New England plants in our gardens.”
An added benefit of planting native New England plants is that they are typically more disease-resistant, require less irrigation and are easier to maintain overall, according to the club. Whether you have been coming to the Plant Sale for years and are looking for old favorites, or starting your first garden, the MGC members said they will be happy to help pick the perfect plants.
Proceeds from the plant sale assist in the cost of maintaining the organic gardens at the historic Jeremiah Lee Mansion, operated by the Marblehead Museum and Historical Society. The Marblehead Garden Club and the Marblehead Museum have worked cooperatively since 1936. You can find more information at marbleheadmuseum.org/properties/lee-mansion/
