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Connecticut Horticultural Society Fall Plant Auction
The Connecticut Horticultural Society invites anyone looking for great trees, shrubs and perennials at prices that are easy on the pocketbook to attend the CHS annual fall plant sale and auction on Friday, Sept. 21, at the Tolland County Agricultural Center, 24 Hyde Ave., Vernon.
Admission is free, and proceeds from the sale of plants support scholarships for horticulture or plant-sciences students at the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Naugatuck Valley Community College.
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“The plant auction is an inexpensive way to pick up some beautiful plants and useful plant tips, while also supporting students who are the future of horticulture in Connecticut,” says Leslie Shields, CHS auction committee co-chair.
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Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for viewing the beautiful, healthy and in some cases hard-to-find plants that Connecticut nursery owners have generously donated. For the plant sale portion of the event, CHS members contribute from their own gardens woody and herbaceous plants, bulbs, wildflowers and more. Unusual and sought-after cultivars are always among the offerings.
The fun begins with the plant sale promptly at 7 p.m., when attendees are permitted to leave their seats and scoop up member-donated plants at bargain prices (50 cents to $7). The auction follows at 7:15 p.m.
Thanks to the commentary and senses of humor of the expert nurserymen and –women who volunteer as auctioneers, the evening is always informational and good for some laughs.
The CHS spring and fall plant auctions are the main ways in which the society raises money for its scholarship fund. Since its inception in 1959, the fund has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships.
For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation of plants, contact Leslie Shields at selchie1@comcast.net. Visit www.cthort.org to learn more about the Connecticut Horticultural Society, which is a statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the appreciation and understanding of horticulture.
