Bullington Gardens plans popular spring plant sale, offering sun-loving and shade-loving plants

HENDERSONVILLE — Bullington Gardens, a horticultural education center and nonprofit botanical garden, will holds its 21st annual spring plant sale from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 24-26. Friends of Bullington will receive an exclusive early-bird shopping invitation.

Tropical Storm Helene brought devastation to mountain communities. Sadly, many of our own gardens also suffered damage. Trees that once provided shade are gone, slopes have been stripped of vegetation and garden designs have been altered. But as gardeners, we regroup, replant and recover.

The loss of trees and tree canopies opens areas to more light exposure. Bullington’s sale includes many sun-loving trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals that will thrive where it once was too shady. Consider this a new opportunity to add colorful, pollinator-friendly plants such as foxglove, lobelia, coneflowers, abelia and hydrangea.

To replace lost trees, Bullington is offering the Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra), known for its brilliant fall color and great value to wildlife. Additional offerings include the Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry (Amelanchier), American Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) and American Beech (Fagus). 

Also available are plants that help with erosion control by stabilizing slopes. For example, the Elderberry (Sambucus ‘Black Lace’) is a fast-growing native shrub with a suckering habit useful on slopes. The blueberry shrub (Vaccinium ‘Splendid! Blue’) with its fibrous roots also stabilizes the soil and yields delicious fruit.

Bullington Gardens has a proven record of offering reliable vegetable starts, including 14 types of tomatoes and unique herbs.

A complete list of plant offerings is available on the Bullington Gardens website.

All plant sale proceeds benefit Bullington’s mission of healing and connecting people with nature through horticultural therapy and education. Proceeds will also be used to remediate storm damage to the grounds.

Bullington Gardens is located at 95 Upper Red Oak Trail. For more information, visit www.bullingtongardens.org or call (828) 698-6104.