GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Get ready to kick off the gardening season! The Florida Museum of Natural History is inviting all gardeners and plant lovers to its Earth Day plant sale taking place from April 22 to 24.

The sale will be held outside the museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 22 and April 23, and 1 to 5 p.m. April 24. More than 100 different species of plants, including native, nectar, host and accent plants, will be available for purchase.

This vibrant sale will celebrate Earth Day with its wide assortment of beautiful and high-quality plants, many of which attract butterflies and other pollinators.

“My favorite part of the sale is seeing the excitement and surprise when someone gets a plant they really wanted or didn’t know they needed until they saw it,” said Ryan Fessenden, manager of the museum’s “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibit. “That, and exposing people to plants they didn’t even know existed.”

The spring plant sale is a counterpart to the museum’s sale hosted in the fall.

“The main differences are in the species available and the scope,” Fessenden said. “Usually, the spring sale is busier than the fall sale and there is more of a focus on spring blooming plants such as Eastern columbine and native azaleas than the fall, when we focus more on goldenrods and blazing stars.”

Prices will range from $3 to $20, depending on plant size. Proceeds will benefit the Florida Museum’s “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibit.

Visitors can pay via cash, credit card or debit card from the museum’s Collectors Shop or at a register located adjacent to the plant sale outside.

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

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Writer: Juliana Ortiz, PRIntern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Source: Ryan Fessenden, rfessenden@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Kaitlin Gardiner, kgardiner@floridamuseum.ufl.edu