Volunteers helping shoppers at check-out in the Big Greenhouse. (Photo by Polly Teeter)
BY ALICIA HAMILTON
Our annual Fall Plant Sale took place at the Graham Visitors Center in the Arboretum last Saturday, September 19. Though it happened on a single day, the sale was months in the making: Our Plant Program volunteers spent many hours propagating, potting, tending, and preparing young trees, shrubs, and perennials so that shoppers could take them home to their own gardens and install them at the best time of year to put plants into the ground.
It also took a lot of people to turn all of that prep work into an bona fide Plant Sale! MaryJane Gasdick, Jennifer Sassano, Lynn Gotlieb, and Polly Teeter supported the sale as cashiers, while Nancy Miller and Jayson Ebreo managed the steady flow of visitors into the Arboretum Gift Shop. Polly also took some wonderful photos to record the event and support our communications.
Our Front of House Coordinator, Heather Mabson, brought together a great group of local organizations and educators for our community tabling event: WSU Master Gardeners, Puget Sound Beekeepers Association, Birds Connect Seattle, and Friends of Arboretum Creek. And Seattle Botanic Gardens tour guide Catherine Nelson hosted a discovery table to teach visitors about plant identification.
Educators engaging visitors at the community tabling event.
Although the morning was overcast, we had a great turnout and plenty of activity around the Arboretum. Leslie McMichaels provided live harp music throughout the sale, and Molly Dalessandro joined us from the Seattle Botanic Gardens Development team to support members who arrived at 9am to enjoy early access to the sale, plus a coffee and treat. Molly signed up three new members at the pre-sale!
One of the fun moments of the sale came when a guest donated a larch tree to the Cloney-Harris Plant Nursery team. Another visitor spotted the tree from across the nursery yard and purchased it just as our volunteers were potting it up!
Visitors of all ages enjoying the event. (Photo by Polly Teeter)
This was our first Plant Sale as Seattle Botanic Gardens, and sales totalled more than $4,300. Funds raised through the sale support Seattle Botanic Gardens and the work happening across our gardens and programs.
Events like this are truly a team effort. They bring together staff and volunteers from across programs, many stepping outside of their usual roles for the day, to make something special happen for our visitors and our organization.
Alicia Hamilton is the Volunteer Programs Manager at Seattle Botanic Gardens.
Seattle Botanic Gardens members enjoying their early-access benefit. (Photo by Molly Teeter)
An educator from the Puget Sound Beekeepers with a demonstration hive. (Photo by Molly Teeter)
Shoppers in the Pat Calvert Greenhouse. (Photo by Molly Teeter)
Educators from WSU Master Gardeners at the tabling event. (Photo by Molly Teeter)
