Plant sales offer good prices, Minnesota-hardy plants and free advice

We'll soon be in the thick of plant sale season. These frill-free sales are a way to save money on perennials, annuals and vegetables, find unique varieties and learn from other gardeners. Here's a sampling of some local sales.

BIRCH ISLAND WOODS
May 10-21: Shop on the farm during a nearly two-week plant sale, filling your baskets with hybrid and heirloom tomatoes, shrubs, vegetables, annuals and perennials. (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Picha Greenhouse and Farms, 6649 Birch Island Road, Eden Prairie; pichagreenhouses.com)

HENNEPIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE
May 11-13: Stock up on annuals, perennials and garden staples. Vegetable varieties, as well as hanging baskets and flower containers, will also be on hand. (9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Hennepin Technical College Greenhouse, 9000 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park; hennepintech.edu)

EDINA GARDEN COUNCIL
May 12-13: Commercial and member-grown plants are part of this sale of perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs and baskets. New this year: Master Gardeners will be on-site to answer questions. (10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; Arneson Acres Park, 4711 W. 70th St., Edina; edinagardencouncil.org; 952-826-1620)

FRIENDS SCHOOL
May 12-14: The State Fair isn't the only thing that packs a crowd at the fairgrounds. This massive annual fundraiser (held Mother's Day weekend to benefit the Friends School of Minnesota) is popular for having more than 2,100 varieties of annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, vegetables, herbs and other plant varieties. Includes 250 new varieties this year. (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1265 N. Snelling Av., Falcon Heights; friendsschoolplantsale.com)

CHAMPLIN GARDEN CLUB
May 13: Perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, potted plants, vegetables and herbs as well as garden art. (8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Willy McCoy's parking lot, 12450 Business Park Blvd. N., Champlin; facebook.com/ChamplinGardenClub; gardeninginchamplin@gmail.com)

ARBORETUM
May 13-14: Lilies, roses, hostas and more. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's annual sale of annuals, perennials, fruits, vegetables, herbs and trees is still going strong. New this year is an expanded selection of University of Minnesota-born apple and fruit trees, grapes, azaleas and shrubs. Free, but reservations are required. (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chanhassen; arb.umn.edu; 612-624-2200)

BETHLEHEM GARDEN TEAM
May 14: This annual plant sale has you covered on Mother's Day with a variety of plants as well as seedlings. (10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; Bethlehem Lutheran Church Minneapolis campus, 4100 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., 612-312-3400; bethlehem-church.org)

ANOKA COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
May 16-17: Hundreds of varieties of native flowers and plants including vegetables and pollinator plants. (3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday; Anoka County Fairgrounds, 3200 St. Francis Blvd. NW., Anoka; anokamastergardeners.org; 763-324-3495)

ASSOCIATION FOR NONSMOKERS-MINNESOTA
May 19-20: Shop heirloom tomatoes, perennials and more at this annual fundraiser. (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; 1647 Laurel Av., St. Paul; ansrmn.org; 651-646-3005)

SOIL AND SUNSHINE GARDEN CLUB
May 19-20: Perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs and more, many grown by club members, plus advice from on-site gardeners. (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 8713 Lincoln St., Blaine; northerngardener.org; 763-355-7030)

DAKOTA COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
May 20: Minnesota-grown plants including a wide variety of sun and shade perennials, native and woodland plants, grasses and groundcovers. Herbs and vegetables are also part of the expansive selection. Bring your one-gallon plastic pots for recycling. (8 a.m. to noon. Whitetail Woods Regional Park, Empire Shelter, 17100 Station Trail, Farmington; dakotamastergardeners.org; mgdc@co.dakota.mn.us, 651-480-7700)

HENNEPIN COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
May 20: Shop perennials, annuals, baskets, vegetable seedlings, native plants, herbs, hostas, groundcovers and more. Master Gardeners include their top picks as well as Minnesota-winning varieties. (9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hopkins Pavilion, 11000 Excelsior Blvd.: Hopkins; hennepinmastergardeners.org)

RAMSEY COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
May 20: Native plants, more than 50 tomato varieties and unique houseplants are some of the highlights of this plant sale featuring perennials, annuals, herbs and vegetables. (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Church of the Holy Childhood, 1435 Midway Parkway, St. Paul, ramseymastergardeners.org; 651-704-2080)

SOUTH ST. PAUL GARDEN CLUB
May 20: Perennials grown by garden club members include hostas and lilies while hebs, vegetables and fruits — including rhubarb, raspberries and strawberries — can be found. Garden art is also part of the one-day sale benefiting Dodge Nature Center education. (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1900 Burma Lane, South St. Paul; bit.ly/3AmXQlB)

LILAC PLANT AUCTION
May 26: Attention, collectors: About 100 rare lilacs will be auctioned off as part of the Lilac Society's 2023 Convention for those wanting something truly unique in their garden. (2:30-5 p.m., SpringHill Suites, 11552 Leona Road, Eden Prairie, internationallilacsociety.org)