Plant sales popping up all over in May

May is a month for planting. Offerings at upcoming plant sales include perennials, vegetables, native and organic plants to help Fox Valley gardeners get the growing season off to a good start.

May 11

McHenry County College: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11, in the MCC Greenhouse, located in Building D, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake. Features annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, hanging baskets, container gardens and more, grown by students in MCC's Introduction to Horticulture class. Proceeds will support the MCC Horticulture Department. Cash and checks accepted. (815) 455-8674.

May 12-13

Friends of the Town & Country Public Library: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 12-13, at the library, 320 E. North St., Elburn. Annual Mother's Day Weekend Flower and Plant Sale will feature hardy and colorful 4.5-inch plants including geraniums, gerbera daisies, tuberous begonias, petunias, coleus, spikes, sweet potato vines, ivy and more for $4 each or three for $11. Six-inch fuchsia or heliotrope are $8 each and 10-inch mixed combo baskets are $22. Proceeds will benefit the summer reading program. Visit www.elburnfriends.org or call (630) 365-2244.

May 13

• Algonquin Garden Club: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 13, at the Algonquin Town Shopping Center, 1310 E. Algonquin Road, Algonquin. Includes more than 800 perennials and woodland plants dug from members' gardens, and a limited amount of hanging baskets and tomato plants. Info: call (847) 658-5836 or email jngpsint@gmail.com.

• Batavia Lions: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at southeast corner of Wilson and Water streets, near Prairie Path Cycles, and at Walgreens, 1918 W. Fabyan Pkwy. Four roaming wagons will be in Batavia neighborhoods on the east and west side. The club's 35th annual plant day sale will include hanging baskets of locally grown flowers. Proceeds are earmarked to fund the Batavia Lions Scholarship. Info: batavialionsclub.org

• Mother's Day Garden Market: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, on St. Patrick's parish grounds, 6N487 Crane Road, between Bolcum and Silver Glen roads in St. Charles. Third annual sale of Ladies Auxiliary of the St. Charles Knights of Columbus Council 12497 will feature hundreds of perennials donated from local gardens, a Yard Art area, and a new "Kids Section." The Yard Art section will have loads of decorative glass art, clay pot art, bird houses and feeders, outdoor painted chair art, and a host of other outdoor decorations. At the Kids' Section, kids can make up Mother's Day gifts with painted jars and vases that can be decorated with small flowers and stickers or put together other crafts like wood bird house kits. Info: www.stcgardenmarket.com or call (630) 450-5958.

• Plain Dirt Gardeners: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 13, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 8 S. Lincoln St., Batavia. Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners' Perennial Sale features native wildflowers, perennials, ferns, hostas, prairie plants, grasses and many unusual varieties, most of which are dug from club members' own gardens. Expert gardeners will be available to answer plant questions. Proceeds from the sale support the Wildflower Sanctuary on the Riverwalk in Batavia. Info: (630) 879-7578 or bpdgclub.blogspot.com.

• "Plantemonium:" 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Fine Line Creative Arts Center, 37W570 Bolcum Road in St. Charles. Perennial plant sale featuring cannas, asters, pachysandra, black-eyed susans, phlox, ground cover, ferns, hydrangeas, Shasta daisies, iris, day lilies, or hostas. Plants start at $3 and up. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted. Info: fineline.org.

• Organic Plant Sale: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Heritage Prairie Farm, 2N308 Brundige Road, Elburn. Includes kale, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and more. Info: www.heritageprairiefarm.com ; (630) 443-5989

• "Bloomin' in Cambodia Flowers:" 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at The Pointe, 5650 Northwest Hwy. in Crystal Lake. Immanuel Lutheran Church will host a perennial plant and flower sale, featuring plants from local gardens, available for donations of your choice. Funds raised will be used to provide transportation for a Cambodian pastor and his ministry, supported in part by Immanuel Lutheran Church and School. Info: immanuelcl.org.

May 19-20

Plant sale for Rosary: 3 to 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 19-20, at Schaefer's Greenhouse, 120 S. Lake St. in Montgomery. Choose from a variety of hanging baskets, decorative bowls, bedding plants, perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, grasses and planters. Gift certificates are also available. Proceeds benefit Rosary High School Sports Boosters. Info: rosaryhs.com/plant_sale.

Bloomin' Plant Sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 19-20, at St. Paul's United Church of Christ's back parking lot at 485 Woodstock St. in Crystal Lake. 17th annual sale featuring perennials, annuals, specialty hostas, hanging baskets and more. Held rain or shine. Credit cards will be accepted. In 2016, they had almost 2,000 pots of perennials to sell. Info: (815) 459-5096, info@stpaulsucccl.org or www.stpaulsucccl.org.

May 20

• Wildlife Center sale: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 20 at 39 Walnut Circle, Presbury Subdivision, Sugar Grove. Fox Valley Wildlife Center's annual barn and plant sale also includes grilled hot dogs, water and popcorn. Info: fvwc.org.

• Backyard Garden Club of Dundee Township: 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 20, at Grafelman Park, Fifth and Main streets (Route 72), West Dundee. Members will sell plants from their own gardens and will advise shoppers with their selections. Proceeds provide scholarships to local students pursuing careers in horticulture, environmental studies and related fields. Info: wdundee.org

• Fox Valley Garden Club: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 20, at Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadway (Route 25), Aurora. Annual Gardeners' Sale features more than 40 vendors selling plants and gardening-related items. Proceeds from the sale fund community projects. Cash and checks accepted. Info: www.foxvalleygardenclub.com/GardenerSale.html

May 21

McHenry County Master Gardeners plant sale: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 21, rain or shine, outside the McHenry County University of Illinois Extension building at 1102 McConnell Road in Woodstock. The selection of plants will include perennials, annuals, herbs and vegetable starts. Most of these plants have been grown by U of I Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners, and all of the plants offered are well suited to area gardens. This is the first stand-alone plant sale that the Extension Master Gardeners have held. In the past, the organization offered its plant sale in conjunction with the annual Garden Walk, which takes place the second Saturday in July. This year, the group decided to hold the sale in the spring, when gardeners are looking for healthy, hardy, unique plants that will thrive in their gardens. Info: (815) 338-3737 or web.extension.illinois.edu/lm.