The Plants of GrowFest
By Sam Settlemyre, CGC Conservation Program Manager
This year THE Plant Sale will look quite a bit different. For one, you’ve probably heard by now that it’s called GrowFest and will be a day-long festival with all kinds of fun activities and free info sessions. The other major difference is the selection of plants, which continues to evolve to better reflect the mission and current gardening practices of the CGC.
You may remember the days of THE Plant and Hosta Sale. You couldn't find a better selection of hostas or unique ornamental plants in the tristate! However, times have changed and so has the CGC. While we still find hostas and other ornamental plants to be beautiful, we have a new perspective on their role in the garden. We’ve moved to an ecological approach to gardening in which we look to our gardens to provide food for ourselves, wildlife or both. With that mindset, hostas and many other non-native ornamentals no longer make sense within our garden matrix because they fail to feed anyone or anything—except our beloved deer, of course.
So that begs the question: “What plants will you find at GrowFest?”
GrowFest will consist of a huge selection of veggies and herbs like you’ve found in years past. This year, we’ll even have a selection of unique heirloom veggies grown from seed by Jill Bader. We asked Jill to help us grow some of these interesting varieties because we simply couldn’t find them anywhere else.
You’ll also find a big selection of natives and perennials. The Sun & Shade Perennials booth will consist of North American native cultivars that will add beauty to your garden while also supporting pollinators. The Natives Booth will consist of straight species that are native to our region and have been either grown by the CGC or sourced from regional growers whose growing practices we trust. Whether you’re growing food for yourself, your family or to promote biodiversity, you’ll find what you need at GrowFest!
Our spring sale has always reflected the gardening philosophy of the CGC at the time. We’re excited for the evolution of THE Plant Sale into GrowFest and hope you’ll join us on May 4 as we launch this new event! While it may look a little different, in many ways it will feel very familiar. And the amazing and knowledgeable volunteers who run the booths will be there ready to help you find the right plant for your garden.