Just in time for planting season, a variety of plant sales are blossoming in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas.
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Find a list here, and if you know of others, add it in the comments at the end.
Curbside Plant Sale to benefit Backyard Abundance
Shop for locally-grown, organic vegetables, herbs and native prairie plants on Saturday, May 6 from 9 – 11 am at the “Rainbow Homestead Curbside Plant Sale” at 431 Elmridge Ave., Iowa City. Visitors can take home as many plants as they like with a freewill donation.
As an added bonus, tours of the magical landscape will be available to inspire shoppers to create their own beautiful and sustainable outdoor spaces. This is a great opportunity for those interested in sustainable gardening to get inspiration and support a good cause at the same time.
All proceeds from the sale go to support Backyard Abundance in their mission to help residents take small steps that transform the outdoors into spaces that demonstrate our ability to live in harmony with nature.
Backyard Abundance is a leading Iowa City-based nonprofit that helps people deeply connect to the natural world and feel mentally, physically and spiritually healthy by nurturing resilience within themselves and our local ecosystems.
For more information visit http://www.BackyardAbundance.org or call 319-325-6810.
Indian Creek Nature Center Annual Spring Plant & Art Sale
The Friends of the Nature Center are ready to fill your yard and garden with a variety of beautiful wildflowers, hostas, geraniums, perennials, prairie plants and MORE at their annual Spring Plant and Art Sale, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 6, at 5300 Otis Rd. SE.
Also available for purchase will be:
Milkweed (stock up for your free caterpillar adoption at Monarch Fest!)
Seedlings and seed packets
Garden accessories, home decor and art
ICNC Honey & Maple Syrup
Farm fresh, organically-raised eggs from Etzel Sugar Grove Farm
…and more!
The Spring Plant and Art Sale is one of two annual fundraising events benefiting Indian Creek Nature Center put on by the Friends of the Nature Center group, along with Nature’s Noel holiday market in December.
Matthew 25 Spring Plant Sale
Stop by the Cultivate Hope Urban Farm, 437 G Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids, to pick out vegetable starts and flowers for your garden.
The sale is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 6.
Find more at: matthew-25.org/event/spring-plant-sale
Noelridge Christian Church
PLANT SALE at Noelridge Christian Church, 7111 C Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
Wednesday-Friday May 10-12 from 10:00am-6pm and Saturday May 13 from 9-2. Flowering bedding plants, hanging baskets.
Iowa Humane Alliance
The Iowa Humane Alliance 4-Day Drive Through Plant Sale: Grow plants, not pet populations!
May 11th & 12th 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
May 13th & 14th 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
We’ll have a huge variety of hanging flower baskets and containers, hostas, perennials, vegetable plants, herbs, succulents, house plants and MORE!
All proceeds support lifesaving IHA programs and services.
Just in time for Mother’s Day!
Sale is next to Saint Rescue, 1200 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids.
For more information call 319-363-1225 or visit: https://iowahumanealliance.org/events/plant-sale
Linn County Master Gardeners annual Charlene Woeste Memorial Plant Sale
The Linn County Master Gardeners will hold their annual Charlene Woeste Memorial Plant Sale on Friday, May 12, from 4-7 pm and Saturday, May 13, from 8-noon at our NEW LOCATION–the Lowe Park Arts and Environment Center, 4500 N 10th St, Marion.
As in previous years, around 3,000 annuals, perennials, and vegetable plants grown at the on-site greenhouse, as well as native, heirloom and heritage plants cultivated by master gardeners from their own personal gardens will be available for sale.
Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your horticulture questions and help you select plants that will thrive in your specific garden conditions whether in full shade, partial shade or full sun.
There will also be information available to learn more about the Linn Country Master Gardner Program and how to become a master gardener, take home free publications on gardening topics, and new this year, the Marion Rotary Club will host a food truck on Saturday morning offering coffee and breakfast items for sale.
Named in honor of Lifetime Master Gardener Charlene Woeste, the founder, organizer, and chair of the annual plant sale until her death in 2014, Charlene provided over 400 plants from her personal garden each year to this event.
Whether you are new to gardening or a pro, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to begin your yearly gardening adventure with healthy, beautiful, and budget friendly plants from Linn County Master Gardeners. This event is free and open to the public. Cash, credit cards and checks are accepted for purchasing your plants. We hope to see you there!
Metro STEAM Academy and Feed Iowa First
Big Plant Sale, Saturday, May 13, from 8-11 a.m. at NewBo City Market, 1100 Third St. SE.
Metro STEAM Academy students will have plants for sale, alongside friends from Feed Iowa First. Great day to pick up a Mothers Day Gift.
Students have been busy this quarter planting and potting garden vegetable plants, as well as being creative and artistic with 3D printed flower pots!
Noelridge Greenhouse
The annual Mother’s Day Showcase from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 14, also features a plant sale. The event is at the Noelridge Greenhouse, 4900 Council St. NE. Admission is free.
For sale at great prices: annuals, perennials, houseplants, succulents, herbs, baskets, native plants, fairy gardens…..Oh, and did we mention: over 85 varieties of coleus!
Vendors galore – great creations at great prices for mom! It’s all here – birdhouses, cutting boards, wood sculptures, painted and whimsical gourds, thundergourds, orchids, pressed flower items, gardening books, and more.
Johnson County Master Gardeners 14th annual Plant Sale & Flea Market
The Johnson County Master Gardeners (JCMG) will host its 14th annual Plant Sale & Flea Market on Saturday, May 20, from 9 to noon, at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, 4261 Oak Crest Hill Road, SE, Iowa City, in Buildings B & C.
Organizers say the activity is growing bigger and better than ever. “The biggest draw for garden shoppers are the plants grown exclusively by Master Gardeners. The sale and market have expanded into two buildings at the Johnson County Fairgrounds,” said Emil Rinderspacher, sale coordinator. “A contributing factor is our Plant Sale & Flea Market was paused for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic while the number of people gardening has grown exponentially.”
Shoppers will find a wide range of perennial flowers, vegetables and herbs, shrubs and woody plants as well as the Flea Market items and gift selections available for sale. Shoppers may also select unique gifts at the Butterfly House Silent Auction. The Butterfly House is open to the public during the Johnson County 4-H & FFA Fair.
The very popular Flea Market has a generous supply of garden items made available through estate donations. Shoppers will find previously-owned garden tools, plant containers, equipment, yard art, books, and other items.
Rinderspacher said area residents can donate used garden items to the Master Gardeners program for the Flea Market. “All items must be clean and in working order and we do not accept chemicals.” Flea Market donations can be dropped off on Thursday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the south end to Building C at the Fairgrounds. Iowa City residents are encouraged to contact city officials about the Swap Shop for partially-consumed or unopened products such as paint, cleaning supplies, and auto fluids.
Proceeds from the annual JCMG Plant Sale & Flea Market support JCMG programs and operations, Kirkwood Community College Horticulture Scholarships and 4-H Awards.
Organized in 1982, Johnson County Master Gardeners is an educational volunteer program, sponsored by Iowa State University and Johnson County Extension and Outreach. The JCMG program provides current, research-based, home horticulture information and education to the citizens of Iowa through programs and projects. Master Gardeners receive horticulture training and volunteer to promote a mission of education and service.
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