We have held a Mother's Day plant sale for many years. We purchase annuals in 4-inch pots from a local nursery and sell them for $2.00 each. We also purchase foil in different colors from a florist and cut them into 10-inch squares. Students select their plant(s) and pick out the foil color in which the pot is wrapped.

We do this more as a service than as a fundraiser but usually end up making a few hundred dollars. Since the plant sale is held during Teacher Appreciation Week, we also use the plants as a gift to staff on the last day of the week.

As a gardener, I love the idea of dividing and selling perennials. I'd be at the front of the line!!! Unfortunately, we would probably not have much success finding parents who would be willing to do the physical labor required to dig up those plants and divide them. Good luck!

We do a Mother's Day plant/flower sale the Th., & Fri. prior to Mother's Day. We buy huge flats (25 plants per flat) from a local grower at wholesale. They even deliver them! They are 4" perenials and we easily sell 500 plants. We get a mixture of plants and the kids and parents love to get them. We sell them for only $1.50 each. We buy a box of those t-shirt plastic bags from Sam's that way the dirt doesn't get all over the buses or cars!

This is our 3rd year doing it and it "grows" more and more.

Good luck,
Holly

I think it is a great idea, provided you have enough gardeners at your school who will participate. Tons of offspring plants get discarded every year. Why not at least get something out of it?

I am hoping to get our school garden to a place where we can sell off our propagated plants to raise funds for maintenance. In the meantime, we may do a sale like you are suggesting. It's a little different here in FL, since we are gardening year-round outside.

Good Luck.

Here are some sources for supplies for your sale:

homeharvest.com/containergardenpotsplastic.htm

www.growersupply.com/blowmolcon.html

We run ours the same as Sant1457 the nursery gives us a flat rate for the plants and we sell them for a profit. You cold also maybe look into a horticultual school that may be in the area. My brother was in high school and they did this and the plants were so beatuiful.

Good Luck

I just today sonirmed the nursery who will be providing our school the flats for thge parents to pruchase. The way I am going to run it is that there will be a list sent home of all avail plants that can be purchased. I am thinking flats of impatients, marigolds, dhalias, petunias, begonias, 1-2 hanging plant selections. I have an agreement with a local nursery for them to sell them to us at wholesale price! We will tack on $1-$2 and use it as a fundraiser.

You might want to get in touch with your local horticultural and/or Master Gardener Society. These groups regularly do sales, such as the one you are thinking about, and would probably assist in it's implementation. They are familiar with both the local flora, and the exotics, they know what sells, and they have the expertise to answer any questions that may arise from your customer base.