Spring 2026 Native Plant Sale

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On Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, more than 300 customers came to Minuteman High School in Lexington in search of native plants.

Several people gathered around a table of potted plants while a volunteer discusses plant choices with customers indoors.
MCD Clerk, Mary Lauve, and volunteer, Margo Flavin, provide guidance on plant selection and care. Photo credit: Kaitlyn McAuley
Trays of small native plants in plastic containers with labeled signs, including downy goldenrod, arranged indoors before a plant sale.
Native plants organized for sale, including species like downy goldenrod (Solidago puberula). Photo credit: Kaitlyn McAuley

Scale and Preparation

In the days leading up to the sale, Middlesex Conservation District supervisors and volunteers packed nearly 2,900 plants for 227 pre-orders, representing 44 species of locally native forbs, grasses, and shrubs. Plant material was sourced from regional growers, including Dragonfly Natives, Tree Talk Natives, and Bagley Pond Perennials.

Pre-order inventory sold out twice before the April 24 deadline, requiring coordination with the Worcester County Conservation District and Dragonfly Natives to maintain limited availability for day-of sales.

Attendance and Reach

Middlesex County residents made up the bulk of the crowd, but demand stretched well beyond county lines; in fact, buyers traveled from as far as New Hampshire and Maine!

Attendance also included visitors from across Massachusetts, including Bristol, Essex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Worcester counties.

Paper bags labeled with order numbers lined up on tables as volunteers review plant orders inside a large room.
Pre-orders were checked and organized for pickup. Photo credit: Kaitlyn McAuley
A group of people moving through tables filled with bagged plant orders inside a large indoor space.
Customers browse and collect orders during the plant sale. Photo credit: Kaitlyn McAuley

What People Bought

Demand was concentrated around adaptable, high-value species suitable for a range of conditions. Frequently selected plants included foamflower, Pennsylvania sedge, narrow-leaved blue-eyed grass, and little bluestem, along with shrubs such as highbush blueberry and American hazelnut.

Bee balms, black-eyed Susan, wild geranium, asters, and other pollinator-supporting species were also consistently selected, reflecting a strong interest in habitat-focused planting.

On-Site Engagement

During the sale, supervisors and volunteers provided planting guidance, answered questions, and reviewed pre-orders for accuracy.

Community partners also participated; Cambridge- and Medford-based members of Mothers Out Front hosted an informational table during the event.

Unsold plants were distributed to local partners, including The Urban Biodiversity Alliance (TUBA), as well as volunteers.

Looking Ahead

The District will host a Fall 2026 plant sale, capitalizing on autumn’s favorable planting conditions, when cooler temperatures and seasonal rainfall support root establishment ahead of winter.

Interested in volunteering? Please contact Andrea Grossman, District Administrator at Admin@middlesexconservationdistrict.org.

Three volunteers standing indoors hold small potted native plants near tables filled with trays of seedlings.
Volunteer, Shari Thaler, MCD Administrator, Andrea Grossman, and MCD Clerk, Mary Lauve, pose with inventory ahead of the sale. Photo credit: Kaitlyn McAuley
Five volunteers standing together in an indoor workspace with tables of native plants and supplies behind them.
Volunteer Colin Chatterton, volunteer Margo Flavin, MCD Admin Andrea Grossman, MCD Supervisor Isabel Bailey, and volunteer Cortney Leigh Cox pose ready to greet customers.