Our Annual Fall Plant Sale at Good Luck Cellars was an incredible success!
from the September 2024 Newsletter
We enjoyed a wonderful venue, perfect weather and sold more plants and earned more than ever before over the three-day sale! Our Total Gross proceeds for the Sale totaled a stunning $11,223.07. We sold around 1400 beautiful native plants and nearly sold out by the end of Saturday. On top of that, we had 32 new members sign up during the sale including 7 NN Master Gardeners including from the Shoreline Team that collaborated in our sale and educational outreach on all things shoreline! Thanks to long time member, Nick Ferriter, we offered free American Beautyberries to new members.
We always say it takes a village and our members rose to the occasion, starting in early spring with the arrival of flats of plugs and bareroots seedlings and planting parties every month through June. Many members/volunteers propagated plants from their own gardens and nurtured growing plants over the hot and intense summer heat. Thanks to an incredible effort by our Board, volunteers and members, the sale broke all previous records.
In addition, the Collaboration with Good Luck Cellars was a winning combination from their co-marketing to the delicious food trucks and, of course, their award-winning wines to refresh our shoppers!
We received many glowing comments on the knowledge and professionalism of our volunteers and the educational outreach we provided along with healthy Virginia and Northern Neck native plants. “ The Northern Neck Native plant sale was FANTASTIC! You all did a great job, perfect venue, lots of plants, great labeling, great staff, and to top it off an absolutely perfect day!”, Sherry P.; “It was a perfect day for it and plants were flying out of there yesterday”, Jenny C. and “It was a great sale. Thank you for putting it all together and having it!”’ Christine T. Special thanks to the dozens of volunteers and Board members who worked long and hard to pull this off all while working with a smile and great passion.
The monies from our plant sales allow the Chapter to pay for programs, the printing our Northern Neck Native Plant Guide as well as allowing us to distribute it for free (We are the only chapter to do so because it is critical to our mission to educate the public on the many benefits of NN natives)! Many other brochures and publications are also distributed free, thanks to the sale proceeds. Sale monies are also used to support the various native plant demonstration gardens the Chapter established and maintains throughout the Northern Neck, such as the Heathsville Courthouse Garden (see below). Further developing native plant projects include meetings with Town officials about a proposed Butterfly Garden at Kilmarnock Town Centre Park and another such garden at the Kilmarnock Boys and Girls club. Look for more updates as we move into the design and installation phase. We are also planning a meeting with the Tri-way Trail committee about native plantings along the new Trail. And in very early planning is the idea to stage a Native Plant or Wildflower Festival in the Spring with vendors and educational workshops. Stay tuned for ways to join these great projects!
Plant Sale Volunteers after the Friday Members Sale Event. Photo by Kelly Rambo of Wheelin’ Treats.
Within 30 minutes, Saturday’s shoppers were loaded up with native plants (B. Washington)