I've never been to this sales, so I don't understand what is so special about it. Are the plants unique, the prices really low? Please fill me in.

Thanks,
Mary

It started out as a small school plant sale 19 years ago and now is a huge three day event (May 9-11th) in the Grandstand at the State Fairgrounds (66,000 square feet of unusual and very, very inexpensive plants, lots of different varieties you won't see in stores or nurseries.) If you want to go, I'd advise Friday afternoon or late morning Saturday because the sale is so popular that there are long lines when it first opens. You can visit their website at www.FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com and download some of the the 56 pages of the 2008 catalog if you want to see what I mean. Also on the website are photos and descriptions of some of the new plants for this year, if you don't want to download. In a few days, you should be able to just pick up an actual catalog at a library or coffee shop. I think you'll love it! I loved the sale so much as a shopper that now I am one of their maybe 600 volunteers (it's all volunteer run.)

It's also just a fun horticultural spectacle, there just aren't that many events that cater so completely to plant nerds. Though prices are good, it's usually for a small plant that will need some time in the garden performing like a mature plant.

I work as a professional gardener and spend lots of time at lots of nurseries. I still love the Friends sale and buy lots of things for my own garden every year.

They have flats to carry things but bringing a cart is a good idea.

Ted

I have decided to volunteer for the first time this year. It is such fun that I want to get in on that part as well. Try it you will like it. It is a good idea to plan out what you want because there is so much you will get overwhelmed otherwise.

This will be my 7th year at the Friends School Plant Sale. I have bought some rare plants and regular plants. The prices are fantastic. The minute the catalog arrives, I start planning what to buy and printing out a copy of the sheet that is used at the cashier.

Just so everyone that is reading this post knows: the sale is this Friday, May 9th- Sunday, May 11th.
I am volunteering at it this week and going to the actual sale for the first time this year. I am so excited!

I can't wait-my wagon and list have been ready for weeks! I've been talking about it so much I think DH is even a little excited. Next year I would like to volunteer-I checked into it too late this year.

We just got home from the volunteer presale, and it was so busy! Feeling a little brokenhearted over the failure of several plants we had our eye on, but still managed to find a few. Here's our final list, excuse the many typos, I'm exhausted! All for under $200.

Annuals:
Amaranth "Dread Locks"
Angel's Trumpet
Bat Face (2 varieties)
Beardtongue "Sunburst Ruby"
Butterfly Flower
Coleus "Alabama Sunrise"
Coleus "Kiwi Fern"
Coleus "Dr. Wu"
Copperleaf (2 varieties)
Regal Geranium "Solstice Chocolate"
Regal Geranium "Solstice Mix"
Goldfish Plant
Hibiscus "Haight Ashbury"
Impatiens "Jungle Gold"
Impatiens "Salmon Butterfly"
Kiss-Me-Over-the-Garden-Gate
Lantana "Irene"
Lantana "Cherry Sunrise"
Lion's ears
MIllion Bells "Crackling Fire"
Nemesia "Sunsatia Mango"
Nipple Fruit
Carpet Petunia
Dreams Petunia "midnight"
Pimpernel, Wildcat "Mandarin"
Trailing Snapdragon "Playful Copper"
Flowering Tobacco
Torch of Texas
Begonia rex "escargot"

Bulbs:
Asiatic Lilies Blackout and Black Spider

Climbers:
Purple Bell Vine
Black-Eyed Susan Vine "susie"
Butterfly vine
chickabiddy
cup and saucer vine
firecracker vine
passionflower
sky vine 'blue sky'
Franziska Maria
Honeysuckle 'harlequin'
hops
clematis tube
climbing bleeding heart

Shrubs/Trees:
lilac 'tinkerbelle'
magnolia tree
red snowberry

Perennials:
balloon flower 'fairy snow'
bitter root 'little plum'
bleeding heart p. ochroleuca
bleeding heart p. lutea
weeping bush clover 'gibraltar'
candy lilly
clematis bush 'rosea'
clematis bush c. integrifolia
shasta daisy 'sonnenschen'
delphinium 'magic fountains cherry blossom'
fairy foxglove
flower of love
pink gas plant
catmint 'pink cat'
rock jasmine
sage 'pruple rain'
japanese toad lily
veronica 'blue feathers'
rodgers flower
meadow rue dwarf
bowmans root
delphinium blue mirror
blue flax
foxglove 'strawberry'
foxglove 'willowleaf'
hollyhock 'peaches and dreams'
'pasqueflower 'red bells'
pasqueflower 'alba'
columbine songbird mix
seaholly amethyst
digitalis forget the variety

That is an impressive list!
Be sure to save the seeds and bring them to the MN GW Winter Blues seed swap!

Oh my now that is a list. Are you starting a new garden? My list is tiny compared to yours:
Canterbury bells
Hardy Cactus: I am expanding my cactus garden
Crystal Tide
Orange flowered
Purple Desert
Prickly Pear Eastern
Little Optuna fragilis from Redwood Falls
Red Hot Poker
Sage Ly-re leaved
Blue Boppy
Hen's and Chicks Mongolian
H & C Widows Cross

Julie, I will collect seeds.

I won't be able to go until tomorrow. I hear that its half price day. Is it worth it or will everything be gone?

From what I hear, if you get there EARLY, half price day is worth the trip. While many of the plants are quite cheap, there are also some bigger/rarer items that are just too pricey to sell well until they go half off. Have fun!

This was my first Friends School sale and I have to say it was a real experience-even my husband enjoyed it! My list was long-and could have been longer if I'd had more room in my wagon but I ended up spending around $240 and feel it was a real bargain. I was just setting my plants out in the rain for a little gentle watering and they all look great. What a super selection-I will certainly become a regular! The Japanese Maples were absolutely gorgeous and I resisted. I just don't know what to do with one in the winter. I love them, though and it was torture seeing them in people's carts almost everywhere I looked! A fun sale and a good cause!
Deb

Not able to go this year, but there are a lot of really neat items offered. From what has been listed so far here, I see we have some discerning gardeners. Good show!

My Pasque flower Red Bells from last year's Friends sale is blooming now. I am quite impressed with the color. Blue Bells is just a nice light purple. These are all seed grown, so of course there will be variations. I will be donating the light purple pasque flower, along with much larger a dark purple Pulsatilla vulgaris to our Rock Garden Society plant sale June 7 in Roseville. I will start a new thread in a week or so with some other plant materials I will be donating, to give you all a taste of what you will find there, should you be interested.