Category: Events

Are you proud of your garden and believe it is worthy of notice?  Enter the Delaware County Master Gardener 2019 annual Garden Contest being held this summer.

For more than 20 years, the Delaware County Master Gardeners have been sponsoring a garden contest for Delco residents as a way to way to educate and empower gardeners to beautify their environment . 

The contest is open to individual gardeners as well as community gardens in both ornamental and vegetable categories.  We welcome all gardens that merit attention. 

Sub-categories for the contest include:

Ornamental Gardens:

• Native/wildlife – use of native plants that attract and sustain wildlife
• Pollinator Gardens – use of plants that attract bees, birds, and butterflies
• Landscape Design

Vegetable Gardens:

• Individual
• Community Gardens
• Youth Gardens
• Novice Vegetable Gardens for first year gardeners

Garden judging takes place on June 14^th for the ornamental garden categories and August 9^th for the vegetable garden categories .

You can download a copy of the contest registration form here.

Winners will be notified by mail. First, second and third place winners in each category are invited to our Fall Fest in September 28^th in Smedley Park to receive their ribbons.  

Special thanks to Brenda Troutman for research

Delaware County and the surrounding area has many active gardening groups, gardening societies, arboretums, public gardens and historical sites that hold special plant and seed sales and swaps. We’ve collected descriptions of some of those sales below so you can plan your plant shopping adventures.

Many of these sales support various non-profit and charitable activities – so you can buy plants and do good at the same time. What could be better?

The Winters Heritage House Museum third annual Heirloom Seed Swap. Saturday, March 23, 2019 from 10am to noon at 47 East High Street in Elizabethtown, PA. More information here.

The Penn State Brandywine Sustainability committee plant/seed swap. Friday March 29th from noon to 1:00. Penn State Brandywine, Student Union Building , 25 Yearsley Mill Road, Media, PA 19063. For more information contact
Mary Fran. Email: Maryfran.mcl at gmail dot com

Providence Garden Club Annual Plant Sale. Friday, May 3rd, from 8 am to 1 pm and Saturday, May 4th,  from 8 am to 12:00 pm on the campus of Williamson College of the Trades, 106 S. New Middletown Road, Media Pa. More information here.

Tyler Arboretum Plant Sale. Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, general public, 9am – 3pm both days. More information here.

Garden Club of Springfield 9th Annual Herb, Plant and Bake Sale. May 4, 9:00 am on Saxer Avenue on the grounds of the Old Schoolhouse. More information here.

Schuylkill Center Greenhouse and Native Plant Nursery Spring Plant Sale. Saturday May 4th & 11th 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, Sunday May 5th 9:00 am to 2:00 pm:  8480 Hagys Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA. Click here for more details.

Central Pennsylvania Native Plant Festival and Sale.  May 4, 2019,  10AM – 3PM,  Boal Mansion, Boalsburg, PA.   Click here for details.

Manada Conservancy’s 19th Annual Spring Native Plant Sale.  May 4, 2019, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at Herbert A Schaffner Memorial Park, Parkside Ave, Hummelstown, PA 17036. Click here for details.

Scott Arboretum Selections: Spring Sale  Sat., May 11, 2019 – Member only shopping, 10 am – 12 pm,  free and open to the public, 12 – 3 pm. More information here.

The Brandywine Conservancy annual Wildflower, Native Plant and Seed Sale. Saturday, May 12–Sunday, May 13, 2018  – 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. More information here.

King’s Gap Plant Sale and Spring Garden Days.  10 am – 4 pm -May 11, 12 – 4pm May 12,   500 Kings Gap Rd, Carlisle, PA. More information here.

Delaware County Master Gardeners Home Garden School and Plant Sale. Saturday, June 1 form 10:00 to 3:00 at Smedley Park, 20 Paper Mill Rd, Springfield, PA. More information here.

Did we miss your favorite local plant sale? Include the information in the comments below and we will add it to the list.