PICKENS COUNTY — After being held online last year, the South Carolina Botanical Garden Fall Plant Sales are back in-person.
The sales will be held from 2-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. The Friday sale is for members of Friends of the Garden. Memberships are available at the gate as well as online. The Saturday sale is open to the public. The sales will be held in the Botanical Garden operations section, located at 154 Lacecap Loop off Perimeter Road in Clemson.
“Our semi-annual plant sales each fall and spring are a major source of revenue for the South Carolina Botanical Garden,” said Misty Shealy, nursery manager of the garden. “Proceeds are used for special projects that would not be possible without income generated by the plant sales. We welcome everyone back to the Garden.”
The plant sales include trees, shrubs, fruits and berries, grasses, bog plants, perennials and ferns prepared by garden volunteers and staff. Native plants and landscape plants will be available for purchase.
People shopping this year’s sales are asked to follow a few simple instructions: Signs will be posted at each Garden entrance. People are asked to follow these signs to the nursery and park outside the gate. Staff will direct parking. Once inside, Shealy said people are free to start shopping.
“There are a limited number of carts available but everyone is welcome to bring their own,” she said. “Volunteers at the checkout tents will gladly hold purchases while shoppers continue to shop.”
Once shoppers are finished shopping, volunteers at the checkout tent will give them a ticket to take to the cashier, where cash, check and credit cards are accepted.
“People can then drive their cars to the checkout tent where volunteers will load their plants for them,” Shealy said.
In addition to buying and selling plants, Shealy said the sales also are excellent educational opportunities for everyone interested in gardening. Garden staff and master gardeners will be available on both sale dates to assist with plant selection.
A catalog of plant material is available online, but will also be available at the gate.
For more information, contact Misty Shealy at scbgnursery@clemson.edu.