We're not going this year, but perhaps next. We are going down to metro area this weekend....I have a Bachman's gift card burning a hole in my pocket. Perhaps get to Savory's, too. Of course, if I'm at Bachman's, I'll be close to Lyndale Garden, so......and will definitely get to Malmborgs, and any others we happen to pass!

Hi Phyllis,
As long as you are going to Bachman's, you will be so close to uncommon gardens, that it would be a shame not to check them out. They have a pretty neat assortment of plants. They're a couple of blocks north of Bachman's on Lyndale.

Even I am going to the Sale this year. Though a lot of the good things are gone by the time I go, I always find cool things that no one seems to want.

It's not too late to sign up to volunteer -- the pre-sale is at night, far less crowded and, of course, nothing is sold out. Also, they are re-stocking many things and these are marked in the catalog this year. Going at 1:00pm or even noon on Friday or Saturday is not too bad. Or do you go to the Sunday half-price sale? I've never done that, but I am curious about it.

What I would really like is if I could pre-order plants I know I want, maybe pick them up earlier, and then shop for the rest of the plants at the sale. There are so many plants that I have to see what the leaves look like or exactly what color the flower is.......plus, I do not resist impulse buys. There is plenty of time to be sensible years from now, when I've been a gardener longer and I have no lawn left to dig up!

Nancy

I am going the first day this year. There are some plants I want that that probably won't be there on Saturday. Last year was my first and last time to go the last day. Very few of the plants I bought made it.

Pauline

In this Plant Sale's early days, they started out as pre sales only. It was a lot more work, and when people came to pick up their orders, they saw others' orders with envy but could not buy anything else.

When the the Friends School went to the present system, sales jumped phenomenally. I doubt they will ever go back.

I am planning on being there on Sat. AM. I went last year for the first time and went on Sunday...I din't get the plants I had in mind when I left the house but I did end up with many of fun things. I do the same thing...pour over the pages of the magazine and write down what I want the first time through and then closer to the day I revamp the list because the first list would cost me a small fortune to buy, and I get more realistic. I hope I get everything I want on my list.!!

I saw Henry today at the green expo going on this weekend at the grandstand-
He was drumming up business left and right!
I am sure this will be the best year ever for them! I picked up extra catalogus for a few friends who have yet to hear about this GREAT sale-

I'll be there Friday morning!

-Marie

Just got back from my first year at this sale. It was pretty crowded. They did have some things that I want that are tough to find (or I end up ordering them) mostly unusual annuals and some of the 1.50 perennials. I was alone and didn't bring a wagon or anything so I got one big flat of stuff. That's ok though because i have so much to plant as it is. When it stops raining my work'll be cut out for me.

I spent about 15 minutes at the nicotiana section because I was buying 9/6 packs of them(the really tall ones specifically cranberry island and mutabilis and a new one they had called daylight, I think) People were very curious about them and since I grew them before they were asking lots of questions.
Supposedly this daylight one grows to 7 feet. I really recommend the cranberry island last year it was my favorite. It grew to about 5 feet and each individual plant is huge. They smell AMAZING!!

Stuff I bought:

Shrubs/Trees:
2 Miss Kim Lilac Trees (Grafted) (for a foundation planting at the front of my house)
Degroot Spire Arborvitae
Teddy Arborvitae
Sherwood Moss Arborvitae
Holmstrup Yellow Arborvitae

Perenials:
Columbine 'Woodside Gold' (almost chartreuse colored leaves)
Jacob's Ladder 'P. Carneum' (pink flowers-supposed to take full sun)
Sea Thrift-A purple leaved variety and a really cute varigated one
Liatrus 'Giant'
Bush Clover (Lespedeza thunbergii-impulse buy-looks interesting)
Sundrops
Purple Verbascum
Purple Gooseneck
Hosta 'Stilleto'
TurkÂs Cap (Lilium superbum)
Stork's Bill, Yellow (Erodium chrysanthum-another impulse buy-very small, cute flowers)
Pineleaf Beardtongue & Sanguisorba 'Tanna' (I've been looking for these for a while-very excited to see how they work out)

Annuals:
Purple Ornamental Cabbage
Geranium 'Vancouver'-probably the most beautiful "fancy leaf geranium" I've ever seen.

Overall, the sale was great, however, the "Natives" section was about a 1/4 missing (crop failure/sold out/hadn't arrived yet). The "Grasses" section looked like it was missing about 1/3 of its varieties.

Stuff I wanted that wasn't there:

Viburnum Tree (This one sold out quite quickly-really wanted one of these)
Holly "Merry Berry"
Hydrangea "Quick Fire"
Blue-Eyed Grass
Lily, Michigan
May Apple
Trout Lily
Hakonechola "aureola"
Switchgrass "Shenandoah"
A few different types of Gentian
Dwarf Meadow Rue
Hibiscus-Lord Baltimore
Iris, Dwarf 'Pastel Charme'
Poppy-'Springer Grapes'
Winecups