This Mother’s Day weekend, the Wilton Garden Club (WGC) will hold its 87th annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale on the Wilton Town Green. This year, shoppers will find a new look for the plant sale, which will be fully tented for the first time in its history — a boon to customers and club members alike for this rain-or-shine event. Visitors will also notice a number of new features that capitalize on the members’ expertise.
The sale will present a spectacular array of locally grown perennials and pollinator-friendly native species. There will be unusual annuals, herbs and vegetables, including over 27 different varieties of tomatoes and peppers. A special feature is a professionally curated section of dahlias, hanging baskets, fresh cut flowers and creative floral gifts that will be available just in time for Mother’s Day.
Proceeds from the sale are allocated to projects that beautify Wilton and support the mission of the Club, which is to provide community service, support horticultural education and conservation, and foster an appreciation of nature. Come to the Plant Sale for the perfect gift for mom or to snag an addition to your garden that you won’t find at a big box store.
“The Mother’s Day Plant Sale is an almost 90-year Wilton tradition and the Club’s signature fund-raising event,” WGC President Janer Danforth Belson said. “It is an opportunity for all 133 members of the Club, representing multiple generations of Wilton residents, to work together to benefit the club and the community.”
To assist shoppers this year, the cadre of club members who are also Certified UConn Master Gardeners will be on hand to offer advice and gardening tips. This year a new service is being offered to help shoppers customize the design of their patio containers with individually selected plants. And if those shopping carts start to feel too heavy, the Wilton Boy Scouts will be on hand to help customers carry and load their purchases into their vehicles.
“We love this town and are so proud to contribute to its beautification.” Katie Nelson, a chair of the plant sale planning committee, said. “The sale is a chance for us to bring the community in to what we do, and to show our new members what a special place Wilton is to be a part of.”
WGC Committee chairs weigh in on what shoppers can expect to find at the sale:
“The dahlia craze continues!” Dahlia Committee Co-Chair Suzanne Knutson said. “This year the Garden Club will be offering over 100 different dahlia varieties at its Plant Sale. Included will be tried-and-true ‘workhorses’ plus a wide selection of more recently-introduced, harder-to-find ‘unicorns.’ They’ll sell out fast, so come early and shop quickly!”
Conservation Committee Co-Chairs Anne Djupedal Gura and Wayne Gura emphasized the importance of selecting plants that benefit local wildlife and ecosystems.
“With all the stresses on the natural world these days, and with the environment changing so rapidly, the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club has been focusing on growing native plants in our gardens for several years now. We are proud to offer a wide variety of native plants, including what we’re calling ‘Wilton’s Own Natives’ or ‘WON plants’. These are plants grown from seed that we have carefully collected right here in our own town and its locale.”
Veggies Committee Co-Chair Laurie Musilli touted the unusual varieties on offer this year, along with tried and true favorites. “New this year is a container cherry tomato variety called Tasmanian Chocolate, an orange Accordion Beefsteak tomato, Biquino mini peppers that look like bird beaks and many extremely hot peppers such as the Genghis Khan Brain pepper,” she said.
And if Mom just doesn’t have a green thumb, Chair of the Cut Flowers Committee Sue Wall has just the thing. “Visit our all-new booth, brimming with beautifully wrapped mixed cut flower bouquets and charming arrangements ready to delight that special mom. Stop by, soak in the fragrance, and take home a little bundle of joy — just in time to make her Mother’s Day extra special.”
WGC members work for months to prepare for this amazing effort. Hundreds of plants are locally dug by members from each other’s gardens during the months leading up to the sale. The members then spend several weeks potting and caring for the plants at their homes. As these plants are acclimated to Wilton weather, they usually thrive with proper care in customers’ nearby gardens. WGC plants typically also have a larger, more established root ball than plants sold elsewhere that are grown from a single plug and thus take longer to establish in the soil.
Proceeds from the plant sale are used for WGC’s many philanthropic efforts which include:
- Maintaining most of the gardens in town (Post Office, Veterans’ Memorial, town sign at Rtes. 7/33, Schenck’s Island Chess Park and Horseshoe Rd. Garden)
- Cultivating native plants and eradicating invasive plants throughout Wilton
- Garden Therapy workshops with seniors at Comstock Community Center
- Holiday decorations throughout Wilton
- Holiday garden baskets to seniors and disabled individuals living in Wilton
- Donating to institutions such as Norwalk River Valley Trail, Norwalk River Watershed, Wilton Historical Society, Wilton Library, Green Teens at Trackside and Woodcock Nature Center, to name just a few.
The sale will be held on Friday, May 8 from 12-6 p.m., and Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Wilton Town Center Gazebo.