Aldridge Gardens moves up start time for 2018 spring plant sale

Aldridge Gardens has bumped up the start time for its annual spring plant sale and opened up the first day to the general public instead of just members only.

The changes were prompted due to the weather forecast and the likelihood of rain, Executive Director Rip Weaver said.

The times for this year’s sale are now: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 26; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27; and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 28. Hoover resident Steve Bender will be signing copies of his book, “The Grumpy Gardener,” from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday.

This year’s spring plant sale includes about 70 varieties of plants, Weaver said. “We’ve got a really good selection of hydrangeas this year, including the Snowflake,” he said. “We’ve got about 25 varieties of hydrangeas.”

And there are several hydrangeas that Aldridge has not been able to offer in the past few years, such as the harmony variety that Aldridge founder Eddie Aldridge named, Weaver said.

The sale also will feature a really good selection of pollinator and native plants, including azaleas, blue eyed susans, cone flowers, asters, milkweeds, joe pye weeds, ferns, camellias and hastas, Weaver said. There also are pass-along plants that people offered from their yards for the gardens to sell, he said.

Prices will range from $2 to $40, Weaver said. “There are some real bargains out there in pass-along plants,” he said.

The spring plant sale usually raises $3,500 to $5,000 for Aldridge Gardens, depending on the weather, Weaver said. “It’s a really good fundraiser for us.”

Aldridge Gardens is at 3530 Lorna Road. For more information, visit the Aldridge Gardens website.