The Plant Sale & Auction sets a new record

The Spring Plant Sale & Auction took place on a sunny, warm May 5. It did NOT disappoint. Donors were incredibly generous and creative with donations, volunteers brought their best game and the turnout was impressive which resulted in record-setting proceeds that topped $7,300 – a new high for a spring auction.

Our auctioneers—Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, Jim Sirch, and Kevin Wilcox—brought their vast knowledge, filling the hall with interesting particulars about each plant, making the live auction not only entertaining, but educational.

The evening not only heralds the coming of spring but it is the cornerstone event that funds the college scholarships distributed annually by CT Hort. Scholarships have been awarded since 1959 to UConn students and expanded in 2011 to include Naugatuck Valley Community College.

With the green industry in short supply of help—and in keeping with our nonprofit mission to educate—it is our intent to encourage the development of knowledgeable Horticulture graduates who will support this important sector of our state’s economy.

We want to thank the dozens of tireless volunteers for their efforts leading up to and on the day of the event. We could not have had such success without the generosity of our donors. Please keep these generous wholesalers and retailers in mind when purchasing gardening supplies:

RETAILERS Ballek’s Garden Center, East Haddam Butler Florist & Garden Center, West Hartford Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden Cheshire Nursery, Cheshire Country Flower Farm, Middlefield Cricket Hill Garden, Thomaston E. Draghi & Sons Farm, South Glastonbury Dunning Nursery, Farmington Garden Sales, Manchester Gotta’s Farm, Portland Hart’s Greenhouse & Garden Center, Brooklyn JillyBeans Farmstand, Farmington Natureworks, Northford Paul’s & Sandy’s too, Inc., East Hampton Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses, Greenwich Stonehedge Landscape & Garden Center, Newington The Garden, Woodbury The Garden Barn Nursery & Landscape, Vernon Tower Farms, Cheshire Warner Nursery & Garden Center, Simsbury Woodland Gardens, Manchester Woodward Greenhouses, Chaplin WHOLESALERS Canterbury Gardens, Canterbury Judges Farm, Old Lyme Michael’s Greenhouse, Cheshire Monrovia Nursery Co – Connecticut, Granby The Plant Group, North Franklin

INDIVIDUAL DONORS Deb Pike Judy King Cheryl Marino Robert Herman Diane Meccariello Roman & Terry Mroczkowski Valerie Bryan Fairleigh Latawic Caroline Jones ACADEMIC DONORS Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury UConn Horticulture Club, Storrs