GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gear up for the autumn gardening season at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s fall plant sale, which is returning Sept. 23 to 25.

red flowers
More than 100 plant species will be available at this year’s fall plant sale. ©Florida Museum/Jeff Gage

Visitors may select from more than 100 species of accent, host, native and nectar plants. The plant sale will be held on the lawn by the museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 23 and 24 and 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 25.

“Returning to in-person sales has been amazing. Our sale last fall matched our most successful pre-pandemic sales, and this year’s spring sale was record-breaking,” said Ryan Fessenden, manager of the museum’s “Butterfly Rainforest.” “We were so successful, it prompted us to move across the road at the Cultural Plaza to put all our stock out at once and make it easier for customers to navigate and pick up their plants.”

Instead of taking place at the metered parking lot in front of the museum, the sale will be in a new location: the nearby lawn surrounding the Big Max sculpture. It is first come, first served, and prices range from $3 to $20, with proceeds benefiting the “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibit.

“We’re always striving to expand the diversity of our offerings, and this year that takes the form of some uncommon goldenrod species like Leavenworth’s goldenrod and serviceberry,” Fessenden said.

Three species of milkweed will also be available, as well as other pollinator-friendly plants aimed at attracting these important but threatened insects to homes and gardens in the area.

Visitors can pay via cash, credit or debit card at the museum’s Collectors Shop or at a register located adjacent to the plant sale. People who are 18 or older can sign up to volunteer and receive 15% off their purchase. For more information on available shifts, visit www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4baaac2aa0f49-2022.

For more information about the plant sale, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/plant-sale.

-30-

Writer: Nikhil Srinivasan, nsrinivasan@floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Source: Ryan Fessenden, rfessenden@floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Media Contact: Kaitlin Gardiner, kgardiner@floridamuseum.ufl.edu