Back in bloom: Annual Woodstock plant sale returns

Hanging baskets are a popular item at the Woodstock Garden Club Annual Plant Sale, planned for Saturday. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Brilliant colors are brightening up the front lawn of the local library in Woodstock Village, because the Woodstock Garden Club Annual Plant Sale is back.

The sale takes place on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the Norman Williams Public Library — rain or shine. Springtime favorites such as hanging baskets, herbs, perennials, and garden gift baskets will be offered. To give you an idea of scale: about 600 perennial plants are there waiting for customers, according to Kathy Fiske, a member of the club's conservation committee.

"Shade, sun, ground cover, you name it," Fiske said. "There's something there for everybody."

It's the garden club's biggest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds support area nonprofits that fulfill the club's commitment to sustainability, conservation, horticulture, education and village beautification. That includes local scholarships and the various plantings that brighten up Woodstock Village every year, Fiske noted. She said it felt great to arrive early Friday morning and join 20-30 people to set up for the sale, especially after last year's event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

"It was wonderful," Fiske said, recalling the joyful three or four hours on Friday. "Everybody was so happy to be doing it. And we had so many volunteers who drove the plants in, lots of truckloads, lots of wagons taking things around and putting them in place."

This year, the garden club asks that people wear a mask while shopping. The event has been a Memorial Day Weekend tradition in Woodstock for years, and adds to the triumphal start of the warm season.

"It's kind of mind-blowing," Fiske said. "It's like opening an entire store for a day."

— Gareth Henderson

Numerous annuals are arranged for the Woodstock Garden Club Annual Plant Sale. (Gareth Henderson Photo)