COVID-19 UPDATE
No plant sale at the Grandstand
on Mothers Day Weekend
Please — read our full FAQ here, which explains why we made this decision and everything else you may be wondering about!
We will update this page as things continue to develop, but in the meantime… sign up for our email list or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to get the latest.
[last updated 4-1-20]
Looking for plant sale GIFT CERTIFICATES? You can purchase them on the Friends School of Minnesota website. This is a recommended way of supporting the sale and the school in this time of uncertainty!
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Friends School Plant Sale is probably the largest plant sale in the U.S. It’s a fund-raising event sponsored by the Friends School of Minnesota, a small Quaker K – 8 school in the Hamline-Midway area in Saint Paul.
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“Doing” the Sale
Shopping at the Friends School Plant Sale, in the Minnesota State Fair grandstand, is the great get-together for gardeners. The experience and amount of waiting changes through the day.
What’s most important to you when you shop?
Minimize crowds
ARRIVE: Friday after 3 pm, Saturday after 3 pm, Sunday after noon. OR volunteer and shop Thursday evening.
Get the plants I want
ARRIVE: Friday by 7 am or earlier, Saturday by 9 am, Sunday by 9:30. OR volunteer and shop Thursday evening.
Get the best deal
On Sunday, all remaining plants are 1/3 off. We're open from 10 am to 2 pm.
Find out more: Map and floorplan | What's new | Getting in (wristbands) | Checking out
Also find out about: Shopping tips | Garden Fair | Saturday workshops
2019 New Plants
Photo courtesy of PAC Elsner/Westhoff - www.pac-elsner / www.westflowers.de
Water Plants
We are once again partnering with the Minnesota Water Garden Society.
They will be selling a wide range of water plants (plus bog plants and fish) outside, between the curbside plant pickup area and the sale exit. Come talk to their knowledgeable volunteers about all things beautiful, damp, and growing
See their full list of plants here.
Photo of the native waterlily (Nelumbo luteo) by liz west from the Wikimedia Commons.
Important News
No to neonic pesticides
The plant sale's planners have worked hard to make sure our plants have not been treated with neonicotinoids, common pesticides that are now suspected of killing bees and other pollinators.
- Read our full statement on this important issue.
- See our 2016 update on our neonic policy.
- Check out this statement about how our edible plants are grown.
- Watch a video made by our middle school students called "A Plea for Pollinators" about the neonic problem.
(Image: Bee on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. Photo by Michelle Mero Riedel)
