Spring Plant Sale and Festival Celebrates Native Plants and Community

people at plant sale

Chapel Hill, NC ‐‐ The North Carolina Botanical Garden will host its second annual Spring Plant Sale and Festival Saturday, April 29, 3 ‐ 7 p.m. Festival‐goers will be able to purchase plants native to the southeastern United States and grown at the Garden’s own nursery, as well as plants from several other local nurseries. In addition, attendees will enjoy live music, food trucks, kids’ activities, and the display gardens bursting with spring blooms. Admission is free, and all are invited.

By bringing together a number of native plant vendors, including Niche Gardens, Cure Nursery, Mellow Marsh Farm, and Growing Wild Nursery, the North Carolina Botanical Garden hopes to encourage the cultivation of native plants for home landscapes. Many common invasive species in North Carolina, like Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) were originally introduced as ornamental garden plants. Using native plants in a garden not only denies invasive plants an opportunity to spread, it also provides a welcome habitat for native birds and pollinators.

In addition to native plants, there will also be a book sale featuring texts on gardening and botany, and local conservation non‐profit organizations will be present to talk about their work. For kids of all ages, there will be face painting, henna tattooing, bubbles, and even a special appearance by UNC’s Ramses. Maple View Ice Cream, Will and Pop’s, and Crêpes Véronique food trucks will offer food for purchase, and a live band will provide music.