Garden enthusiasts should mark their calendars as the Paris Horticultural Society will be hosting its annual plant sale at the Syl Apps Community Centre from 8:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
The event will feature a variety of hundreds of non-invasive perennial and annual plant species including heirloom vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses and several other native plants, which will all be available for purchase.
Deborah Vickers, co-president of Paris Horticultural Society, said that all of the vegetation available during the sale has been donated from the personal gardens of their members.
“Everything is coming from our gardens, which I think is extra special because we’re passing along our own plants to other people’s homes,” she said. “Many of us have been growing seedlings from scratch and we’ve been splitting our own plants to make this possible because it’s fun to donate. It’s nice to see what people are going to come and pick out, and to share that joy with other gardeners.”
Vickers said that the benefit of having their members provide the plants is that they can often provide insight on how to care for it.
“What’s great about these plants coming from our own members is that many of them will be volunteering at the event so they can give advice about that particular specimen,” she said. “Or if they aren’t there, one of us will know who to ask to help find you that information.”
As always, the Paris Horticultural Society will also have a master gardener on site to provide tips and tricks for optimal success in transplanting and caring for newly acquired plants, and to answer any general questions about gardening as well.
“We’ll also have a master gardener on hand for people who have questions,” said Vickers. “I think especially, if you’re new to gardening it can be a little overwhelming coming in and seeing all the plants; they may have questions about what they should choose, how they should grow it, or even where they should grow it.”
For parents looking to attend the long-awaited event, the plant sale will also feature a Jr. Gardeners Corner where a Paris Horticultural Society member will help the youngsters with an activity.
Vickers also said that if there are any plants left by the end of the sale, anything that hasn’t been purchased will then be put up for auction.
“We never quite know how much will be left after the sale, but if you stick around you can get some really nice plants for very little money,” she said.
The Paris Horticultural Society has been up and running since 1986 and together, members maintain the Paris Cenotaph Gardens and the Garden of Hope. As well, they hold monthly meetings with guest speakers, host several plant sales, flower shows and an annual garden tour in June every year.
“The organization has been around for quite a long time and our role in the community is to help keep the town looking good, share our knowledge and bring people into our friendly club,” said Vickers. “But mostly we’re here to share our love of plants, for growing and for beautifying and educating the community.”
Given that the cash-only event is one of the non-for-profit organization’s largest fundraisers of the year, money raised during the sale will go towards several different initiatives such as acquiring guest speakers for meetings, public plantings and maintenance, and for a bursary for graduating students from Paris District High School going into horticulture or environmental courses.
Vickers said that overall, she and the rest of the society members are looking forward to another successful event.
“I think everybody is excited,” she said. “You know, you spend all winter inside and so to have this event, it’s almost like the official beginning of spring and what’s to come. Everybody is really hyped for it and looking forward to it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s good, fun work and we’re anticipating it will be a positive day.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
