Kent Garden Club Plant Sale Supports Service Projects

In time for Mother's Day, here's a win-win scenario for you: buy your mom a plant and support volunteer work in Kent.

It's that easy. And you can be sure your mom will appreciate both.

This month the Kent Garden Club, now celebrating 65 years of culling the earth as a non-profit, is holding its annual plant sale. New this year, the club's more than 200 members are hosting a special pre-Mother's Day hanging basket sale on Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12.

The special hanging basket sale is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at the garden club's Ode to Joy center, which is located at the corner of Seasons and Ravenna roads in Streetsboro.

"We’re hoping that people who want to get their mother a nice, beautiful hanging basket will come out," said Karen Smith, a member of the garden club.

Everybody knows moms love flowering hanging baskets. Scratch that off the win-win scenario list.

But how does your cold, hard cash for warm, live greens support volunteer work?

Proceeds from the plant sales support the myriad service projects cultivated by the garden club.

Each year, the garden club members provide advice and plants for gardens at Portage County's two homeless shelters: the Freedom House transitional living for homeless veterans and the county's community homeless shelter Miller House. Both homeless shelters are located in Kent.

The club also supports "Project Green," which provides garden space and plants for mentally challenged youth in Portage County.

Plus, the Kent Garden Club provides space for two community gardens. And the club's members volunteer at Portage County's Phyllis Zumkehr County Clothing Shelter.

Whew. That's quite an extensive list of volunteer work — all of which is made possible when you buy some of the club's greenery. Speaking of which, here's a sample of what the garden club has to offer: hanging baskets, perennials, annual flowers, herbs, garden vegetables, including more than 70 varieties of tomato plants ( many of them heirloom varieties). The perennials, herbs, and vegetable plants are grown by members or from seed in the club's greenhouse.

If you can't make this weekend's Mother's Day sales, there are several more chances to buy flowers, herbs and vegetables during May.

Memorial Day weekend is the big sale. Patrons’ Night is Thursday, May 24, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and includes early choice of plants and refreshments. Advance sale tickets are $10 and required to attend Patrons’ Night. The sale is open to the public on Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, May 27, from 9 a.m. to noon. Tickets are valid toward purchases each day and are available from members, at the door or by calling 330-677-2279.

Smith said another new addition this year is a quasi-family day on Saturday that will feature a cotton-candy machine, miniature horse, popcorn machine and other treats for children.

"Families should bring their kids on Saturday," she said.

If digging in the dirt for charity sounds like how you want to spend your free time, you can learn about joining the Kent Garden Club by calling Rick at 330-947-2460 or Lee at 330-673-8659.