by Renee’ Benage, Plant Sale Chairperson and Membership Chairperson
During the 2026 native plant sale at Shaw Nature Reserve, Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter sold 909 Missouri native wildflowers to Ozark Flora Fest shoppers that were eager to learn about and purchase native plants. Some folks came in with plant lists, others were looking for guidance about what to buy, and we helped them all.
This year the sale format changed and we were the only vendor for a one-day sale. The weather cooperated and for that we were grateful!
30 Wild Ones members helped with this year’s sale by
- gathering boxes for shoppers
- setting up the booth and moving plants
- helping customers locate and select plants
- checking out shoppers and keeping the line moving
- loading up the remaining plants at the end of the sale and tearing down the booth
- photographing the event
- talking about Wild Ones and the upcoming native plant tour with BCH
Thanks to the board for once again participating in the planning for the sale. I appreciate everything they did to make the plant sale successful for us and our customers.
Volunteers were given a $1 per plant discount as a thank you for donating their time, and many took advantage of the opportunity.
After paying the vendor, our Chapter made a final profit of $3,109. This money supports our Chapter’s gatherings, grant program, tabling event materials, the Landscape Challenge, and our support of the Native Plant School at Shaw Nature Reserve.
Thanks again to all who participated by volunteering or shopping. Feel free to offer suggestions for how we can improve our outreach at this sale.
Hope to see you in 2027!
