All right, plant fans: May is here, and it’s time to go by some plants. Below are listings for every plant sale in May and early June around Boston inside of Route 128 (with a few outliers) which had information that I could reliably locate on the internet. If a sale is missing, please post it in the comments! 

Most of these sales are run by local garden clubs and will offer perennials from members’ gardens; a few sales simply offer hanging baskets, cut flowers, or seedlings from local garden centers. They support good causes, and they deserve your money. Go outside and spend! Make your life more green!

Wednesday, May 2-Thursday, May 3

Danvers: North Shore Community College Annual Plant Sale  Annuals, perennials,

vegetables, hanging baskets and house plants grown by NSCC horticulture students

Friday, May 4 

Waltham: Lyman Estate Spring Herb Sale

Wenham: Bessie Buker Elementary School Spring Plant Sale  Pansies, impatiens, hydrangeas, hanging baskets, tomatoes

Saturday, May 5

Cambridge: Fieste for the Finca Plant Swap  Plant cuttings, seeds, tomato plants, kombucha/kefir starters. Fundraiser for Finca Guanacaste; $10 donation suggested.

Groton: Groton Garden Club 2012 Plant Sale

Norfolk: Federated Church of Norfolk Perennial Plant Sale  Perennials divided by members of the congregation

Roxbury: The Food Project Dudley Greenhouse Plant Sale

Somerville: Somerville Community Growing Center Spring Garden Day  Seedlings, garden supplies exchange

Waltham: Lyman Estate Spring Herb Sale 

Sunday, May 6

Cambridge: Grow Native Massachusetts Festive Floralia  Native plants, landscape professionals on site to answer questions

Waltham: Lyman Estate Spring Herb Sale 

Friday, May 11

Boston: MSPCA Angell Mother’s Day Flower and Plant Sale Arranged and cut flowers, potted plants

Saturday, May 12: The BIG Day

Andover: Spade and Trowel Garden Club Mother’s Day Weekend Plant Sale

Arlington: Arlington Garden Club Plant Sale  Perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, garden tools

Ashland: Ashland Garden Club Sale  Beautiful, healthy perennials contributed from the gardens of club members, Mother’s Day arrangements

Bellingham: New England Bonsai Gardens Spring Celebration

Billerica: Billerica Garden Club  Perennials for sun and shade, daylilies, hostas, groundcovers, herbs, shrubs, geraniums, impatiens, hanging baskets, annuals

Boston: MSPCA Angell Mother’s Day Flower and Plant Sale Arranged and cut flowers, potted plants

Boxborough: Boxborough Garden Club Plant Sale, Raffle, and Bake Sale  Perennials for sun and shade, herbs, shrubs, groundcovers

Chelmsford: Open Gate Garden Club of Chelmsford Plant Sale  Herbs, annuals, perennials, planters, vegetables, curiosity shop

Concord: Garden Club of Concord Annual Plant Sale 

Framingham: Framingham Garden Club Plant Sale  Plants from members’ gardens

Georgetown: Country Gardeners of Georgetown Plant Sale 

Littleton: Tahattawan Lodge Plant Sale    A wide variety of annuals, hanging planters and flats, and vegetables

Lincoln: Lincoln Garden Club Plant Sale  Prized perennials from local Lincoln gardens, herbs, annuals, planters

Lynn: The Food Project City Farm Fest   Plants, seeds, gardening supplies, children’s activities, food, workshops on pests and diseases

Marblehead: Driftwood Garden Club Annual Plant Sale  Nearly 1,000 local perennials, annuals, herbs, unusual and reare perennials

Marlborough: Marlborough Colonial Garden Club Plant Sale

Mattapan: Boston Natural Areas Network Spring Plant Sale and Perennial Divide  Trees, shrubs, perennials, vegetable seedlings

Medway: Milford Humane Society Plant Sale  Annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, Mother’s Day arrangements

Milton: Amateur Milton Gardeners Plant Sale  Annuals, hangers, herbs, vegetables

Norwood: Norwood Evening Garden Club Annual Plant Sale  Hanging baskets, perennials, annuals, organic vegetables, and herbs, all locally grown

Roxbury: The Food Project City Farm Fest   Plants, seeds, gardening supplies, children’s activities, food, workshops on pests and diseases

Roxbury: The Food Project Dudley Greenhouse Plant Sale

Southborough: Southborough Gardeners Annual Plant Sale  Unique and rare plants, annuals, perennials, hanging baskets

Sudbury: Sudbury Garden Club Plant Sale

Tewksbury: Tewksbury Boy Scout Troop 47 Plant Sale  Vegetable and flower seedlings; can be ordered in advance on Scouts web site

Wakefield: New England Daylily Society Plant Sale and Auction  Rare daylilies, hybrids of different colors, daylily experts on hand to answer squestions

Westwood: Westwood Historical Society Annual Spring Plant Sale   Locally-grown perennials, herbs, annuals and shrubs including parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, sage, dill, hosta, may apple, veronica speedwell, peonies, iris, sedum, phlox, hemerocallis, columbine, jacob’s ladder, achillea, vinca, monarda, lady’s mantle, nepeta, ginger, coreopsis, coral bells, evening primrose, muscari, lily of the valley, yucca, aster, ajuga and spirea, and many more, annuals and houseplants.

Sunday, May 13

Andover: Spade and Trowel Garden Club Mother’s Day Weekend Plant Sale

Boston: MSPCA Angell Mother’s Day Flower and Plant Sale Arranged and cut flowers, potted plants

Wednesday, May 16

Lexington: Lexington Field and Garden Club Plant Sale  Perennials, annuals, herbs, hanging baskets, house plants, garden tools

Thursday, May 17
Natick: Natick Garden Club Annual Plant Extravaganza Auction  Potted plants, garden items, gift certificates

Friday, May 18

Waltham: Gore Place Plant Sale  Annuals, perennials, heirloom tomatoes and vegetables

Weston: Country Garden Club of Weston Gardenmania Annual Plant Sale  Annuals, “interesting and harder to find perennials”

Saturday, May 19 

Acton: Acton Garden Club Plant Sale  Locally grown hybrid daylilies, more than 1600 perennials, trees and shrubs dug from local gardens

Amesbury: Whittier Home Annual Plant & Bake Sale  Prize irises and hostas, plants and garden supplies, vases, tools , pots, garden decor, “All plants are indigenous to New England soil,” books, jewelry, home-baked sweets, pies to take home.

Bedford: The 59th Annual First Parish Plant & Craft Fair  Ornamental and bedding plants, vegetable and herb seedlings, shrubs, native plants, music, baked goods, lunch, children’s activities, crafts

Beverly: The Friendly Garden Club of Beverly 2012 Plant Sale  Hardy perennials dug from members’ gardens, a selection of annuals, organic vegetables, herbs and indoor plants

Beverly: 21st Annual Long Hill Plant Sale  Unusual plants, trees including tulip trees, Japanese showbells, dove trees, Japanese maple. Horticultural experts available to answer questions

Brighton: Brighton Garden and Horticultural Society Plant Sale

Burlington: Burlington Garden Club Annual Plant Sale  Members’ own perennials and annuals from Griggs Farm.

Canton: Brookwood Community Farm Annual Seedling Sale  Vegetable, herb and flower plants available for purchase, all grown on the farm using organic practices.

Cohasset: Community Garden Club of Cohasset Plant Sale  Perennials

East Bridgewater: East Bridgewater Garden Club Huge Plant Sale

Foxboro: Foxboro Garden Club Annual Plant Sale

Gloucester: Gloucester Education Foundation Plant Sale

Haverhill: Haverhill Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale  Perennials from members’ gardens, flowering annuals, herbs, vegetable plants

Holliston: Holliston Garden Club Plant Sale  Perennials, large hanging baskets, annuals

Hopkinton: Hopkinton Garden Club Plant Sale  Member garden plants and herbs, select hardy perennials from local whoelsaler, colorful ceramic pots

Ipswich: Ipswich Garden Club Plant Sale  Perennials, vegetables, heirloom tomatoes

Marblehead: Marblehead Garden Club 81st Annual Plant Sale Wildflowers, perennials, annuals, herbs, rock garden plants, groundcovers

Marblehead: Marblehead High School Freshman Class Plant Sale  Annuals, hanging plants, perennials, vegetables

Maynard: 18th Annual Plant Sale hosted by Maynard Community Gardeners  Colorful perennials annuals, & vegetables, garden-related items

Medfield: Medfield Garden Club Spring Plant Sale  Perennials

Medford: Medford Garden Club Spring Plant Sale  Perennials, vegetables, annuals, shrubs, house plants

Newton: Newton Community Farm Seedling Sale Vegetable and herb seedlings

North Reading: North Reading Garden Club Annual Spring Plant Sale  Hanging plants, annuals, perennials vegetables, herbs

Pepperell: Pepperell Garden Club Annual Plant Sale  Annuals, perennials, ground covers, shrubs, trees, locally grown vegetable plants, herbs

Quincy: Wollaston Garden Club Spring Plant Sale  Perennials

Reading: Reading Garden Club Plant Sale  Annuals, hanging baskets, geraniums, garden accessories, baked goods

Reading: Sister Plants Sale  “Lovingly nurtured” perennials, shrubs, trees, herbs

Rowley: First Congregational Church of Rowley Plant Sale/Yard Sale/Bake Sale  Vegetables plants, perennials, annuals—all from Country Gardens

Roxbury: The Food Project Dudley Greenhouse Plant Sale

Salem: City of Salem Beautification Committee Plant Sale Home grown perennials, annuals, hanging baskets

Salisbury: Sea Spray Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale  “Wonderful plants at great prices”

Sharon: Sharon Garden Club 2012 Annual Plant Sale  Herbs, perennials (full sun, part sun, shade), trees, shrubs, ground cover, petunias

Topsfield: Topsfield Garden Club Plant Sale

Waltham: Gore Place Plant Sale  Annuals, perennials, heirloom tomatoes and vegetables

West Newbury: West Newbury Garden Club Annual Plant Sale

Weston: Country Garden Club of Weston Gardenmania Annual Plant Sale  Annuals, “interesting and harder to find perennials”

Wilmington: Wilmington Garden Club Plant Sale  Perennials, trees, and shrubs provided by members

Wrentham: White Barn Farm Fourth Annual Plant Sale 

Sunday, May 20

Amesbury: Whittier Home Annual Plant & Bake Sale  Prize irises and hostas, plants and garden supplies, vases, tools , pots, garden decor, “All plants are indigenous to New England soil,” books, jewelry, home-baked sweets, pies to take home.Belmont: 11th Annual Herb Sale, Habitat Herb Study Group

Newton: Newton Community Farm Seedling Sale Vegetable and herb seedlings

North Andover: North Andover Garden Club Annual Plant Sale  Proven perennial plants from garden club members’ gardens and annuals from Paisley’s in Boxford, maple products from Turtle Lane Maple in North Andover, fresh produce from Gaouette Farm of North Andover

Reading: Sister Plants Sale  “Lovingly nurtured” perennials, shrubs, trees, herbs

Wellesley: Mass Hort Gardeners’ Fair at Elm Bank  Society Row Plant Sale, White Flower Farm’s Great Tomato Celebration

Wrentham: White Barn Farm Fourth Annual Plant Sale

Thursday, May 24

Stoneham: Stoneham Garden Club Annual Plant Sale & Lobster Roll Luncheon

Friday, May 25

Cambridge: MIT Endicott House Annual Spring Plant Sale  Flowering plants, perennials, herbs ,vegetables, earth boxes, planters

Saturday, May 26

Waltham: Gore Place Plant Sale  Annuals, perennials, heirloom tomatoes and vegetables

West Roxbury: Fifth annual Theodore Parker Church Leaf and Petal Lovers’ Plant Sale  Baked goods, vegetable seedlings, hebs, perennials, shrub raffle

Monday, May 28

Rowley: Great Marsh Garden Club of Rowley’s Weekend Plant Sale  Specialty sun and woodland plants, flowering annuals, hardy perennials, vegetables, organic herbal hand creams

Thursday, May 31

Framingham: New England Wild Flower Society “Go Wild!” Plant Sale/Auction

Friday, June 1

Waltham: Lyman Estate Perennial Sale Hundreds of varieties of perennials

Saturday, June 2

Dedham: Fairbanks Garden Club Plant Sale

Groveland: Groveland Garden Club Annual Plant Sale  Wide variety of plants, fresh cut flowers, garden related items

Rockport: Rockport Garden Club Plant Sale  Annuals, perennials, shrubs, herbs, bulbs, house plants, vegetable seedlings

Waltham: Lyman Estate Perennial Sale Hundreds of varieties of perennials

Weymouth: Weymouth Garden Club Plant Sale 

Sunday, June 3

Marshfield: Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries Native Plant Sale  Native shrubs and perennials that attract birds and butterflies

Topsfield: 15th Annual Nature Festival Sunday, Mass Audubon ipswich River Sanctuary  Perennials and other plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds

Saugus: Saugus Garden Club Plant Sale

Waltham: Lyman Estate Perennial Sale Hundreds of varieties of perennials

Saturday, June 9-Sunday, June 10

Newburyport: 33rd Annual Garden Tour and Plant Sale, Historical Society of Old Newbury  Varietals propagated in the museum’s garden beds

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A Note About Those Plants You’ve Bought

Most areas around Boston have their last frost date by May 10 (if you’re not sure when your last frost is, you can check here.) That means you can put anything in the ground—once you’ve hardened it off if it was was grown in a greenhouse. Hardening off strengthens the delicate hothouse flowers and protects them from transplant shock, a big problem for some seedlings

That’s the glory of plant sales run by garden clubs, churches and libraries; their plants have just been dug out of local gardens! They’re tough as dandelions and twice as healthy.