Garden Tours, Plant Sales, and Gala Events
We’re always on the hunt for inspiration, indoors and out, so we’re marking up our calendar with these upcoming don’t-miss events for Spring 2018.
May Market at Hillstead Museum, 5/5 & 5/6: Hill-Stead Museum will celebrate the arrival of spring with May Market, its signature ‘home, garden & gourmet’ benefit event. Mother’s Day shopping, rare and unusual plants, wine tastings, live music, food, family activities and museum tours are included in admission. Rain or Shine. More info here.
Four Root Farm Open Farm Days and Plant Sale, 5/5 & 5/6: Tour the East Haddam farm, enjoy some live music, and stock up on organic vegetable and flower seedlings for your garden including Heirloom Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants, Cucumbers, Greens, Herbs, and more. More info here.
Old Saybrook Garden Club’s Gardener’s May Market, 5/11: Find annuals, perennials, members’ plants, baked goods, gently used gardening tools, and other garden items at this fundraiser on the town green. Find out more.
Duck River Garden Club Spring Plant Sale, 5/11 – 5/12: This annual fundraising plant sale sponsored by the Duck River Garden Club of Old Lyme features heirloom tomatoes, annuals, vegetables, herbs, hanging baskets, geraniums, perennials, shrubs and more, at the Old Lyme Shopping Center field on Hall’s Road (near Hideaway Restaurant). More info here.
Hollister House Spring Plant Sale, 5/12: Go see the garden and get some expert help selecting some new and unusual plants for your own garden. More info here.
Westbrook Garden Club May Market Plant Sale, 5/12: from 8:30 am to 1 pm at Westbrook Town Hall. The sale includes annuals, vegetables, garden gifts and member plants. Proceeds go to town beautification, scholarships and gardening programs open to the public. More info here.
Mother’s Day Lavender Plant Sale at Lavender Pond Farm, 5/12 – 5/13: Celebrate Mother’s Day Weekend at Lavender Pond Farm, New England’s largest lavender farm, and choose from a variety of lavender plants, bath, beauty and culinary products. More info here.
Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park’s Annual Plant Sale, 5/12: Stock up your spring garden, get the perfect gift for Mother’s Day and support a great cause at the Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park’s Annual Plant Sale on Sunday, May 12th from 9am – 4pm. More info here.
Essex Garden Club’s May Market, 5/12: This sole fundraising event for the club began as a small plant sale across from the Griswold Inn and has grown into a garden extravaganza now held in the Town Park. It features annuals and members’ nurtured perennial plants, herbs, shrubs and fresh-cut flowers, as well as garlic salt, gently-used home and garden treasures, and jewelry. More info here.
East Lyme Garden Club May Mart Plant Sale, 5/12: Expect a great selection of well-established perennials (lots of hostas) and herbs from member’s gardens. Also, find flowering annuals, veggies, and hanging baskets. Proceeds are used to maintain East Lyme’s public gardens and provide floral arrangements for Meals on Wheels. More info here.
Garden Gang Plant Sale at the Florence Griswold Museum, 5/18 & 19: Join the Museum’s Garden Gang for a sale of beautiful plants and garden specimens, featuring heirloom perennials, roses, herbs, and succulents. More info here.
Mystic Garden Club Flower Show, 5/18 & 19: Don’t miss this year’s flower show, held at Coogan Heritage Farm in Mystic. More info here.
The Garden Club of Madison’s Annual Plant Sale, 5/19: Held on the grounds of the Deacon John Grave House, 581 Boston Post Road on the Saturday after Mother’s Day, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine). Profits from the plant sale will benefit the Garden Club of Madison’s Community Beautification Projects. More info here.
Trade Secrets, 5/19 & 20: Rare Plants and Garden Antiques Sale at Lion Rock Farm in Sharon, CT on May 19th and a garden tour for May 20. Tickets sell fast! More info here.
Mystic Seaport Garden Tours, 6/1 – 6/3: Celebrate the arrival of summer 2018 with a private tour of the gardens at Mystic Seaport in the company of their master gardeners. A perfect garden or book club outing, or Mother’s Day gift. More info here.
Gardens By the Sea in Madison, 6/3: Head to Madison to view “Gardens By the Sea”, as The Women’s Club sponsors their biennial tour (since 2000). All funds from the Garden Tour will be used to beautify the Surf Club’s local beach and picnic area. For advance tickets call 203-245-8495.
Garden Fest at the Florence Griswold Museum, 6/8 – 6/17: Kick off the garden season with this annual event, a ten-day celebration of the site’s historic gardens, featuring flower shows, lectures, the Garden Luncheon and Garden Fest Plant Sale and more. Click here for the full list of activities.
Friends of Essex Library Garden Tour, 6/9: By popular demand, Friends of the Essex Library will sponsor a garden tour on June 9 that will feature seven of the loveliest private gardens in Essex. Some are in the heart of Essex Village while others are hidden along lanes most visitors never see. More info here.
Newport Secret Gardens, 6/15 – 6/17: tours of the private gardens of some of historic Newport’s most prestigious properties, to benefit the public schools of Rhode Island. Details here.
Madison Historical Society’s Tour of Remarkable Homes, 6/24: Explore five of Madison’s most unique private residences. Each home is remarkable for its age, size, location, or distinctive architecture and landscaping. The homes can be visited in any order and at your own pace. Find out more.
And here’s a list of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days for Connecticut.
Save the Date for Connecticut Historic Garden’s Day on June 24th.
Upcoming Galas:
Hill-Stead Museum’s 26th Annual Benefit Dinner Auction, Diamonds in the Rough, 5/24: Under the grand tent on Hill-Stead’s West Lawn is one of the area’s finest live and silent benefit dinner auctions. Food, wine and outstanding company await, alongside fabulous works of art, jewelry, fine wines, and unique experiences up for bid. More info here.
CT River Museum’s Riverfare, 5/31: The unofficial kickoff to Summer on the Shoreline, CRM’s annual fundraiser RiverFare is a gourmet food and drink tasting event on the Museum’s riverfront lawn. Numerous local caterers and restaurants vendors provide delicious samples of their culinary talents for patrons, as well as tastings from breweries and wineries of the River Valley. A full cash bar, music, and silent auction offering all sorts of great items and experiences! More info here.
Garden Luncheon at Florence Griswold Museum, 6/8: The day is devoted to celebrating all things floral with 200 garden-loving guests, beginning with Blooms with a View in the Krieble Gallery, which pairs stunning floral arrangements with key works on view from the summer exhibition – then enjoy a delicious lunch under a festive tent. More info here.
High Hopes How Sweet It Is, 6/9: Join over 600 friends, donors, sponsors, and patrons to benefit the programs and participants of High Hopes. Save the Date for High Hopes’ premiere gala event featuring Gourmet Galley and SUGAR band. More info here.