Hi Mona, what a great project and zinnias are tops, strong and pretty, would love more of them, check my list and let me know what you prefer, think kids would want sunflowers, have plenty, some unusual in different colors. Happy gardening and trading, Bea

Sure kp, can post some info for you....This is the fourth year for our newly formed garden club. We have one fundraiser per year and it is the Garden Art Fair & Bake Sale. We have about 30 members. All are asked (not required) to make garden art or something related to gardening or baked goods and donate it to the club. We rent a school gym, set up tables, advertise for about a month and then sell everything that was donated. Last year, in about three hours, we brought in $1,300!. We do have unusual house plants and some garden plants, but we try and stay away from too much of that, as we want to be know for our garden art. We also do not wish to run into competition with our garden centers because they usually have their open houses the same weekend. It is a great fundraiser plus it keeps the members busy all year searching for new ideas and creating their art. It is so much fun to see what members come up with. Some of the things we sell: We have totems, silverware windchimes, mosaic work, stepping stones, garden aprons, bird feeders, hypertufa pots & mini gardens, birdhouses, butterfly houses, garden signs, garden baskets, decorated garden chairs, watering cans, garden books, plate flowers, garden crosses, a willow trellis, homemade jams & jellies (red hot pepper jelly, onion jelly, raspberry jam, homemade salsa, and many others. I will take pictures this year and post them if anyone is interested. No, we don't have other vendors, as this is our fundraiser. Past years, we have also hosted workshops every hour, on the hour, but the last few years, they have been less and less. Everyone who comes just wants to buy, so this year we aren't offering anything extra. It is great exposure for our club too. Many people come in and ask questions about gardening. We even pick up new members when they come to visit us. And I think our own members are our best customers! BUT we aren't allowed to buy anything until we open up the doors for the public. Becky

Before I joined my garden club ordered bulbs in bulk for sharing. I hope we can do it again and also share seeds. We visit local ecological vegetable farms, public gardens and parks with special features, our own gardens and local private gardens of some fame. We organize a country walk in spring to a beauty spot where one of us has made a fire for a barbecue in advance. Last year we had a talk by a remarkable woman farmer who grows several old varieties of grains like spelt and visited her farm in summer to buy flour and taste and buy her bread. We arrange plant fairs on a small scale twice a year and sell our surplus plants and produce. This fall we will have a pelargonium competition. Each contestant starts with a cutting of the same size and the same variety (Wilhelm Langguth) supplied by a member who is a collector. Next week we will visit a local nursery after hours where we get reduced prices when we come as group. The owner gives a short talk about novelties and any plants of distinction. This post was edited by mariannese on Fri, May 16, 14 at 6:09

Thanks to all who came out to see the gardens on our tour today. It seems we had a real good turnout. It started out cool and warmed up by the afternoon - a real nice day to look at gardens.