The Wilton Garden Club (WGC) will hold its 86th Mother’s Day Plant Sale this Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, at the Wilton Town Center gazebo. This cherished tradition offers something for everyone, whether a master gardener, a novice green thumb or simply someone looking for the perfect floral Mother’s Day gift. The sale’s proceeds fund WGC’s year-round efforts to beautify Wilton and promote environmental conservation, preservation and education initiatives.
“Our plant sale is literally iconic,” WGC President Andrea O’Meara said. “We are frequently commended on its success, especially its extensive variety of plants, its rich history of 86 years, and our members’ enthusiastic dedication to the effort. We’re very proud to host such a special event for our town. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate Mother’s Day and kick off the spring growing season.”
From herbs to perennials to patio containers, the sale will feature an extensive variety of more than 4,000 plants that are sure to do well in customers’ gardens because most are locally grown by WGC members — either in their own home gardens, at the club’s community garden at Allen’s Meadows, or in the greenhouse at Wilton’s Comstock Community Center. Offerings will include:
- Organic vegetable and herb plants
- Stunning perennials
- Colorful annuals
- Large variety of rare dahlias
- Pollinator-friendly plants, shrubs and trees
- Show-stopping patio containers
- Flowering hanging baskets
- Eye-catching wildflowers and native plants
- Decorative baskets and china teacups filled with gorgeous flowers. (*Ideal for a Mother’s Day gift!)
- Beautiful fresh-cut floral bouquets (*New this year!)
The plant sale will be held — rain or shine — at the Wilton Town Center Gazebo on Friday, May 9, from 12-6 p.m., and Saturday, May 10, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Additionally, for extra eager gardeners, a presale will be held at the Comstock Community Center greenhouse on Wednesday, May 7, from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
WGC members work throughout the year to prep for this amazing effort. Thousands 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.
“So much of what Wilton Garden Club does throughout each year is in preparation for this sale,” said Haiku Durden, who co-chairs the sale with Ann Margaret Mannix. “It’s our signature event, and we love that it helps our town welcome springtime and celebrate Mother’s Day.”
A Proud History
Every May since 1939 — rain or shine — on the Friday and Saturday before Mother’s Day, Wilton Garden Club has held its annual plant sale. In 1939 the sale’s venue was Wilton’s Old Town Hall with plants hand dug from members’ gardens, much as it happens now. Over the years, the sale grew and moved to Center School in 1978. And in 1986, the opening of the fully automated greenhouse at Wilton’s Comstock Community Center enabled WGC to accept cuttings and plants from its members in early autumn which, still today, along with hundreds of seeds, are propagated and nurtured by members throughout the winter. To date, thousands of such plants as well as those dug from members’ gardens are sold at the plant sale every year.
A Community Effort
The Wilton community is also actively engaged in the WGC plant sale. Foremost are the shoppers who come to the sale and purchase the plants every year, a tradition many of them say has been passed down from their parents. The American Legion provides much needed coffee for the sale’s volunteers, and Wilton Boy Scout troops have kept overnight watch after some plants went missing in the 1990s, naming themselves the Flower Guard. Wilton Girl Scouts recently joined the Flower Guard as well, alternating sleepover nights with the Boy Scouts. The scouts also help WGC dismantle the sale after it ends on Saturday, which the club greatly appreciates.
Plants for Philanthropy
Proceeds from the plant sale are used for WGC’s many philanthropic efforts which include:
- Maintaining most of the gardens in town (Post Office, Veteran’s 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 through Wilton Social Services
- Charitable donations to nonprofits 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.
For more information visit the Wilton Garden Club website.
Now in its 104th year, Wilton Garden Club is a civic-minded organization dedicated to education, conservation, preservation and beautification. Boasting an active membership of more than 130 individuals, the club’s common thread is a love of gardening and a commitment to Wilton. Membership includes master gardeners and industry professionals as well as novices who want to learn more. With 25 different committees, ranging from conservation to civics to greenhouse to flower arranging, members easily find something that suits their interests. For more information visit the WGC website.