By Martha Keehner Engelke, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County
On the morning of April 5, 2025, people lined up for blocks in front of the Durham County Cooperative Extension Building at 721 Foster Street in Durham, North Carolina. The weather was perfect and the crowd was friendly and anticipatory. They were waiting for the Friends of Durham County Extension Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale to begin. Master Gardener volunteers (EMGVs) were stationed outside to welcome visitors and explain the procedures for purchasing plants.
Deandra Scott Hill expressed the joy she experiences every year as the plant sale opens:
“I absolutely enjoy interacting with the community as they line up, with their lists and questions early on Saturday morning. I am slightly amazed every year when I see the line of people stretched down the block, excited to go home with some new plants for their homes and gardens. As I went up and down the line, people shared their wish lists with me, their favorite plants, their concerns about those darn Durham deer and other other gardening challenges. I, in turn, got to share the knowledge and resources I have received from my continuing training with the Master Gardener program.” (Deandra Scott Hill)
At 10 am the doors opened and the sale began! This year’s plant sale built on lessons learned from previous sales. Lissa Lutz has chaired the plant sale committee for many years. She sums up the changes she has noted over the years:
“Having been involved with the plant sale for so many years.., I can really appreciate the evolution it has gone through. The best part is the intentionality with which we are now selecting and growing plants for the sale. Gone are the days where we accepted any donated plants, plopped into any available pot, and prepared for drastic markdowns halfway into the sale in hopes of clearing out the inventory. This year saw a thoughtfully curated list of native plants started from seed… Houseplants were carefully chosen and screened to represent the most desirable plants. Divided plants were selected with attention to variety, quantity and consistency. Most importantly, every “grower” on the team focused on the quality and health of their products. We wanted to sell plants we thought everybody should have, and we advertised that to the public.” (Lissa Lutz)
Stephanie Claggion was responsible for assigning and training the volunteers. Each room was staffed by seasoned EMGVs. They were able to answer questions and recommend new plants that a buyer might not have considered. “Rovers” were assigned to troubleshoot problems, answer questions, and offer assistance where it was needed.
What started as a plant sale blossomed into something bigger-an opportunity for new friendships, community connections and even a touch of romance. Two couples that met at a previous plant sale and agreed to be featured in this story bought new plants and commemorated the beginning of their relationship.
The plant sale was an opportunity for individuals, families, and nonhuman friends to spend quality time together. There were children and even a dog that came to the sale. While the dog remained outside, it was given a drink of water by an EMGV, and the children were entertained while their parents shopped. People with mobility issues were helped with a hand or a chair.
For many shoppers the first stop was the houseplants section. Customers took home over 100 house plants, many were planted in decorative containers donated by EMGVs. The monsteras were perhaps the most popular plant, followed by several low(er) light varieties, including Pothos, spider, and snake plants.
House plant team members were ready and eager to answer questions and help customers of all ages.
After finishing their visit to houseplants, shoppers moved on to native plants with their list in hand. Creeping Phlox (Phlox stolonifera); Tickseed (Coreopsis auriculata ‘Nana’); Celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum); Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata); Coneflowers (Rudbeckia species); Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella) were popular. Customers and EMGVs bonded over their mutual commitment to improving the ecosystem by planting more natives.
The next stop was often vegetables. This area has a long history of presenting old and new varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and other veggies as well as herbs. People were eager to take home healthy plants and were encouraged to try new varieties by EMGVs who were experienced vegetable growers. Novice growers appreciated printed information on the “hardening off” period of vegetable gardening, and new friends wondered how they might fit all these veggies in one box.
Non-native plants, annuals, tropicals and trees were also available. Wish lists expanded as many folks found plants they didn’t realize they had to have.
The next step was check out. This is the stop where a plant sale can turn into a nightmare. Everyone seems to finish shopping at the same time. Long lines can make happy shoppers wonder if the check out line is worth the wait. This didn’t happen. Kat Causey and her team had a well-trained staff of talliers and checkers who efficiently processed orders. When the line seemed to be getting long, Kat sprang into action. The flow pattern was reassessed and revised and new talliers were recruited. The role of “traffic control specialist” was created to troubleshoot bottlenecks and offer encouragement. A team of volunteers composed primarily by the current EMGV interns helped people take their treasures to their cars and offered boxes and wagons. One of the checkers (Lisa Nadler) even got an offer from someone to buy her hat!
Photos of the talliers, members of the checkout team, and Lisa Nadler, whose hat was not for sale!
Somewhere between 11:00 and 11:30 all the plants were gone. No price reductions, no tossing out plants that were not in good condition. What was remaining were new friendships, a feeling of satisfaction, and thoughts about how the money that was collected will be used in the future.
As our extraordinary Extension Agent, Ashley Troth says:
I never cease to be amazed by what we accomplish together at our annual Plant Sale. The Extension Master Gardeners work so hard all year selecting just the right varieties of veggies and natives, growing plants from seed, and propagating beloved varieties, all to be ready for one day. And while this is a fundraiser for us, it’s so much more than that. We’re honored to bring folks together for the love of plants – to have questions answered, spark new ideas, and help people find that just right new plant friend to bring home to their gardens. The Plant Sale allows us as Master Gardeners to come together and build relationships both with our fellow volunteers and with our wider Durham Community. To be able to do this while raising money for our program to provide research-based gardening programming across Durham is one of the highlights of my job.
The plant sale was a great success. It raised funds to support future gardening projects with community partners. And, we all probably became a little healthier since research has demonstrated that gardening has a positive impact on physical and mental health 1,2. Stay tuned for the Durham Master Gardener Plant Sale of 2026!
A special thanks and appreciation to Allie Mullin who shares her photography skills with us. Her talent helps us to chronicle our history and relive the joy of a job well done! Unless indicated, all the photos featured in this article are credited to her.
(Image credit: Sue Henson Kadwell)
Notes
- Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5153451/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- The impact of gardening on well-being, mental health, and quality of life: an umbrella review and meta-analysis. https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-024-02457-9?utm_source=chatgpt.com
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