Auction of Rare and Unusual Plants

As you may know we are planning to hold an auction of rare and unusual plants at our AGM in November. While it will raise money for our Club, more importantly it will give all of us an opportunity to acquire plants for our garden that we may not otherwise be able to get. It will also be entertaining as we all know an auction is usually fun and informative.

The plan is to have a Live Auction of about 25 lots and a selection of plants and other garden items in a Silent Auction.

What do we consider Rare and Unusual? Anything that is difficult to get from a garden centre or plant catalogue. It may have come from a friend, a hybridizer of a particular species, or from a specialty nursery.

For the auction to be successful we need plant donations and a good team to take on various tasks.

Now is not necessarily the best time to dig some plants. But for many it is the best time. For example I am going to donate a couple of Tall Bearded irises. They will be dug fresh and prepared for planting. One is Miles Ahead. This is an easy one.

I will also have a Trillium. Unlike most plants they are divided and transplanted most successfully when they are in full bloom. Fortunately I have one in a pot but at the auction you will only get what appears to be a pot of soil. But the dormant plant is in there and you can see what it looks like because we will have pictures of all the plants.

You may also be interested in an unusual and rare peony called Pastelegance which can be dug in the fall.

If you do not have a photo of your donations you can always get one from the internet. Those who donate plants can also give us information about each plant during the auction. When you have decided on what you are going to donate please let me know and send a photo so we can let our members know what they can bid on.

When the time comes bring your plant donations early the evening of the auction so we can set up the display and members can see what is available. If we get the information early enough we will send out a list of donations.

We need someone to make up Silent Auction bidding sheets. Also we need need a few volunteers to help the evening of the auction. [Note: When planning to do the auction 4 years ago some of us made 84 auction paddles so that is done.] We need one or two people to carry the sale item or photo through the audience so they can see what is being sold and to take the item to the buyer. We will also have a slide show of all items. Also needed, and this is very important, are a couple of people to prepare a recording sheet[s] and to record the item being sold plus the paddle number so we can collect the money at the end of the evening.

It is going to be a lot of fun so make sure you mark your calendar and don’t forget to bring your cheque book ! You can pay by e-transfer, cheque or cash.

For plant donations and to volunteer, contact Ted: tedebaker41@gmail.com.

The list of plants for the Live Auction and Silent Auction will be published before the AGM. Be sure to check back for updates or subscribe below for new posts.

List of plants donated

Scroll to see complete list.

Photos of plants donated

Hover over the photo to see the name of the plant and click to enlarge.