Reviewed by: Lacey Muenstermann
Insider tips + staff recs for the Fall Plant Sale at Huntsville Botanical Garden
Reading time: 4 minutes
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If you’ve been dreaming of a lush garden come springtime, now is the time to plant!
Autumn is prime for giving many plants their best start with less stress on them (and you), thanks to milder temps and far less watering, says Huntsville Botanical Garden Horticulture Manager Max McKeown.
The HBG team has greenhouses full of just the plants we need, available Sept. 26-27 during the annual Fall Plant Sale. Here’s an easy guide.
Fall Plant Sale Quick Reference
Top sellers + special offerings
The upcoming Fall Plant Sale includes:
- Garden signature plants directly from the garden, whether grown from seeds, cuttings or divisions
- McKeown says: “You can take a piece of the Fern Glade home with you! We dug divisions among our many fern species there in mid-August.”
- Garden-endorsed plants from trusted commercial growers and grown in-house by the HBG staff
- Two of McKeown’s favorite garden-endorsed plants are the Tennessee cone flower and the cabbage cone flower.
🏆 Top sellers: Any herbaceous and native perennials first, then non-native perennials, McKeown says.
A few more special sale plants you aren’t likely to find elsewhere: white beautyberry, a Pink Turk’s Cap (a hibiscus relative) and Ageratina havanensis (shrubby boneset), a great fall bloomer for pollinators.
Where to find the native plants
People love native plants because they’ve evolved in the Alabama climate and are more likely to survive and thrive with less care than others. McKeown explains some of the specific benefits of native plants:
- fully winter hardy + more tolerant to drought
- more resistant to pests and diseases of the region
- typically preferred by the region’s birds + insects
To meet the demand from people and pollinators, the HBG team expanded its native plant offerings and adjusted the layout for the sale to include a dedicated native plant greenhouse. Meanwhile, the non-native plants were carefully chosen for North Alabama gardens, too, McKeown says.
Learn more about HBG’s plant science + conservation initiatives.
Get expert advice + insights
The ultimate goal is to connect people to plants and for both to thrive, McKeown says, urging shoppers to ask staff and volunteers to help customize their shopping lists to suit their garden goals.
“I compare plant sale days to commencement day for kids. All of this work goes into them, and then they’re perfect little plants ready to be put out into the landscape . . . We can direct you to the plants that you need to solve that wet spot in your yard, if you want to attract pollinators, or if you want fall colors — we have a plan for it.”
Max McKeown
ICYMI: Hear from the HBG team about how to attract pollinators to your home this fall 👇
Know before you go
- When:
- Member Exclusive Sale: Friday, Sept. 26, 8AM-6:30PM | Become a member
- Public Sale: Saturday, Sept. 27, 8AM-4PM
- ARRIVE EARLY for the best selection. All items are available on a first-come, first-served basis
- Where: 4747 Bob Wallace Ave SW, Huntsville, AL 35805
- Park in the Dogwood Parking Lot + follow signs to the Horticulture & Maintenance site
- Cost: FREE to browse
- To visit the full garden, purchase general admission ($13-$20 for non-members) or show your membership card for free admission at the guest center.
- Bring: A wagon + wear comfy clothes and sturdy shoes.
In the meantime, visit the Huntsville Botanical Garden website for Fall Plant Sale inventory updates.
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