It started weeks earlier, as Garden Club members tenderly nurtured plants in their gardens, then potted, labelled, and priced them. The night before, an army of members and volunteers sets up tents and tables and cover them with pink, finishing at sunset in the drizzle. Finally, the big day dawns and volunteers load the tables with gorgeous plants. Plants that have been gathered from gardens all over Acton find their place on their special table.
All Garden Club members work on the Plant Sale and donate over 2000 plants to make it happen. Cucurbit Farm provides annuals for the sale. All told, over 3000 plants are sold each year. More members are arriving now, donning their name tags, aprons, and information, final touches to set-ups between coffee, donuts, and home baked goodies to keep them going until the magic hour arrives.
And soon, it’s 8 a.m. Devoted gardeners and faithful customers are already starting to line up with their own wagons. Before long, the line extends down to Main Street and in front of the Red House, waiting for the gate to open!
At 9 a.m., the gates open and the madness begins! Gardeners from Acton and beyond stream through the gates to their destinations: Native Plants, Choice Plants, Sun, Shade, Annuals, Trees and Shrubs, and House Plants. Garden Club members decked out in logo t-shirts and green aprons are available to ask questions. The Acton Garden Club Annual Plant sale has begun.
It’s a whirlwind of activity. Plants fly into wagons, children choose their favorites, and Garden Club members tally up the wagonloads of treasures. Soon, the line to exit stretches all the way across the back and the holding area is full of greenery waiting for their owners to return with even more plants.
The keeper of the Native Plants table, Barbara Wissell, provided a visual key to all of her plants, and encouraged people to take a photo for reference. A later arrival to the plant sale noted that by 10:30, the Natives table was almost empty. However, here’s a tip to remember for next year: there were native plants scattered throughout the sale, marked with orange stakes.
By 10:30, the pace slows and the workers have a moment to breathe. The crowd thins and the late arrivals come. The warmth of the day and the sun are upon us, and we’re ready with sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses. There’s more time for conversation. One buyer, Ashti, asks, “So, what does the garden club do?”
Yikes! He asked the right person (the publicity chair) or the wrong person, if he just meant that as a social question and was planning to keep walking. She kept him there for a bit and he got an earful about their existence since 1934: “…our community service projects, our garden therapy programs, our speakers program, and our scholarship. Yes, we have men in the club and would love to have more. For information, go to our website, our Facebook page, or come to one of our meetings. We’re a hands-on, fun loving, talented, and educated community service group and we are looking for people like you.”
By 1 p.m., the tables are being collapsed, the pink plastic coverings are being recycled, cleanup crews and devoted volunteers are relaxing, laughing, and chatting as they work, the leftover plants are loaded into a truck; the sign, the boards, and the wagons are packed away in the basement of the Red House. By 1:30 it will all be over and look like they were never here… until next year!
Miriam Lezak is an associate editor of the Acton Exchange who tries hard to grow tomatoes every summer.
Ann Marie Testarmata is the publicity chair on the Board of the Acton Garden Club.
