Need 8,000 plants? The North Fulton Master Gardeners, Alpharetta Community Agriculture Program, Georgia North Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Native Plant Society and Fulton County Cooperative Extension have you covered.
They will host the 23rd annual Garden Faire at the Grove at Wills Park, 175 Roswell St. in Alpharetta, on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Customers can expect to find vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees, even carnivorous plants, said Sandra Shave of the North Fulton Master Gardeners and chair of the Garden Faire. A big part of the offerings will be “pass-along plants,” mostly perennials from master gardeners’ backyards that have to be divided every couple of years, she said.
“In my own yard, we took out about 80 Hostas, Shave said. Bought from a nursery or big-box store, those might go for $20 a pot — but at the Garden Faire will sell for just $7, she said.
“It’s a really great deal,” Shave said.
Most prices will run from $3 to $15, with the median around $6, she said.
Admission is free, and the event will be held “rain or shine,” Shave said. In previous years there have been 50 to 75 people waiting for the doors to open half an hour early, she said.
Attendees are urged to park at the Alpharetta Community Center at Wills Park or the overflow lot at Amana Academy at 285 S. Main St. in Alpharetta. Shuttle buses will run to the overflow lot every 10 to 15 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to a Fulton County news release.
The Georgia North Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Native Plant Society is bringing ferns, spring ephemerals, shade and ground-cover plants native to the state, which can be hard to find, Shave said.
The Alpharetta Community Agriculture Program will provide 5,000 vegetable and herb seedlings. A dozen other vendors will bring trees, shrubs and more, she said.
“This is a great place to get some bargains, but it’s really an experience, too,” Shave said.
Shave said in previous years the groups held separate events, but she suggested they combine for “one stop shopping, one giant fair.”
A “fleatique” sale will have a lot of “gently used gardening items,” plus many household items, she said.
Classes offered during the event will include one on “container gardening” for people who may not have yards in which they can plant, Shave said. Throughout the day, local “big names” in horticulture will give public presentations on carnivorous plants, pruning, fungi and other subjects, Shave said. Master gardeners, qualified to answer just about any gardening question, will be available too, she said.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a “Children’s Corner,” kids can learn about tomato planting and worm composting, and make seed necklaces.
The master gardeners hope to make $10,000 to $15,000 from the sale, which will go to pay for the educational programs the group puts on throughout the year, Shave said. The all-volunteer master gardeners provide guest speakers for events, hold Zoom classes and have created seven demonstration gardens at nature preserves and historic homes in Fulton County, she said.
