Plant sales sprout up as gardening season kicks off

If your yard looks dangerously devoid of blooms and shrubbery, fill it to the brim with purchases from the following plant sales. Most plants are locally grown and many events are fundraisers for schools, museums and nonprofit organizations. Several sales offer gardening tips and advice from on-site experts, while other sales include additional garden goodies such as tools or mason bee supplies.

A few events are full-scale outdoor celebrations, like the Camas Plant and Garden Fair and the Clark Public Utilities Home and Garden Idea Fair.

Wherever you decide to buy your blossoms, come prepared with your own cart or wagon and call or check websites beforehand to determine which form of payment is best. Happy planting!

Lilac Days last through May 10, when the famous Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 115 S. Pekin Road, Woodland. Visitors can stroll through the fragrant gardens and buy lilacs and other plants, tour Hulda’s Farmhouse from 1-4 p.m., see the Barn Museum and buy a souvenir at the Lilac Days Gift Shop. Admission is $10 for adults at the gate. Children 12 years and younger are free with a paying adult. Senior Citizen days are April 20, 27 and May 4, when seniors age 62 and above are $5. April 29 is Military Day, offering free admission for military personnel with ID. No pets are permitted on the grounds (including therapy or comfort animals) except certified service dogs. Learn more at lilacgardens.com.

NatureScaping of Southwest Washington will host a Potted Plants and Perennial Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 25 at Wildlife Botanical Gardens, 11000 N.E. 149th St., Brush Prairie. Find potted and bagged trees and shrubs (no bare root items) as well as potted perennials starting at $1. Shoppers can also get mason bee supplies and enter a raffle for a garden-themed basket. Sales are cash and checks only; no credit cards, Venmo or electronic payments will be accepted. Shoppers should bring their own wagons or carts. Garden Delights Herb Farm will also offer herbs and herbal products, accepting credit and other payment options. Students from the adjacent Center for Science, Agriculture and Environmental Education will sell native landscaping plants from its greenhouse. Learn more at naturescaping.org.

The Vancouver Chrysanthemum Society will host a chrysanthemum sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 25 at the 78th Street Heritage Farm, 1919 N.E. 78th St. in the Hazel Dell area of Vancouver. Follow the signs to the chrysanthemum greenhouse. The society will host another sale at the 78th Street Heritage Farm from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 9 and 10, in conjunction with the Master Gardeners Mother’s Day Plant Sale. Both sales will feature garden variety mums as well as a few exhibition varieties. Payment is by cash and check (no cards, please). The cost is around $3.50 per plant. To learn more, email [email protected].

Battle Ground Public Schools will offer plant sales at three schools. Get more details about each plant sale at battlegroundps.org/article/2781933. For more information, email [email protected] at Prairie High School or [email protected] at Battle Ground High School.

• Center for Agriculture, Science and Environmental Education, 11104 N.E. 149th St., Brush Prairie: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 25. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.
• Prairie High School, 11311 N.E. 119th St., Brush Prairie: 3-6 p.m. May 1, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 2 and 3 to 6 p.m. May 4
• Battle Ground High School, 300 W. Main St., Battle Ground: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 2

Clark Public Utilities Home and Garden Idea Fair is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 25-26 at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield. The fair gathers hundreds of home, yard and garden professionals under one roof. Speak with experts about energy-efficiency projects and landscaping to welcome pollinators. Find products from local growers and artists at the Farmers Market and Children’s Entrepreneur Market. The midway will also feature several food carts. Admission is free. Donations of canned food are encouraged. Parking is $6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and free from 2-5 p.m. Donate blood with Bloodworks NW and receive a free parking pass. Learn more at clarkpublicutilities.com/event/home-garden-idea-fair/.

Vancouver Public Schools will host its annual plant sales at four schools this spring. Gardeners will find herbs, hanging baskets, ornamentals, flowers, fruits, native plants and vegetables grown by horticulture and Future Farmers of America students. Pay by cash and card.

• Hudson’s Bay High School, 1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 28, 29 and 30
• Vancouver Flex Academy, 2901 General Anderson Ave., Suite 6181, Vancouver: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 2
• Columbia River High School, 800 N.W. 99th St., Vancouver: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 2
• Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E. 18th St., Vancouver: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 7 and 8 and 9 a.m. to noon May 9

The Woodland High School Future Farmers of America Plant Sale is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 1 at 1500 Dike Access Road, Woodland. Find ornamentals, vegetables and hanging baskets. Learn more at woodlandschools.org/page/312.

Clark County Master Gardeners will host the Mother’s Day Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. May 8 and 9 by appointment only at the 78th Street Heritage Farm, 1919 N.E. 78th St. in Hazel Dell. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10, no appointment is needed. Find vegetables and herbs, annual flowers and perennials, houseplants and hanging baskets, mixed flower pots and used gardening tools. Cash and check are accepted, as are Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Attendees should bring their own wagons. No pets are allowed except service animals. ADA parking is available. Learn more and make appointments at clark.mastergardenerfoundation.org/plant-sale/.

Spring comes alive in downtown Camas at the 27th annual Camas Plant and Garden Fair, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 9. Camas streets will be turned into a vibrant marketplace filled with lush plants, colorful flowers, unique garden art, and one-of-a-kind finds from local growers and artisans. The event includes live music, a petting zoo and a free Kids Fun Zone from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park at Camas High School and take a free C-Tran bus to downtown. Learn more at cwplantfair.org.

Two Rivers Heritage Museum, 1 Durgan St., Washougal, will host two plant sales from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 16 and June 14. Both sales feature locally grown plants and many native plants. All proceeds go to the Camas Washougal Historical Society. Learn more at 2rhm.com/plant-sale/.

The Community Garden Club of Camas-Washougal will host its annual plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 16 in Zion Lutheran Church’s A-frame annex building at 824 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas, across from Safeway on the corner of Northeast Third Avenue and Northeast Garfield Street. Plants for sale include annuals, perennials, vegetables, shrubs, grasses and ground covers. Find forsythia, black-eyed Susans, hazelnut trees, comfrey, oregano, spearmint, cyclamen and miner’s lettuce. All plants are locally grown by club members. Parking is free and payment is by cash or check. Learn more at gardenclubofcamaswashougal.org.