CAPTION: Flowers purchased from area plant sales await planting at a residence in Hutchinson. CREDIT KATE IRELAN / THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE
According to the Kansas 4-H S51 Kansas Garden Guide, the average last day of frost in Reno County is April 17 through 19, and gardeners looking for deals on purchasing flowers and plants in April have several choices. Though not a comprehensive list, the following are a few places in the Hutchinson area offering deals in April.
The Buhler FFA Horticulture group is having a plant sale at Buhler High School, 611 N. Main Street in Buhler, April 24 through 26. Rylie Sanders is a teacher at Buhler High School and teaches agriculture education with three other teachers and is one of the FFA advisors.
“The plant sale is student-led from start to finish,” said Sanders. “We teach the upper-level horticulture class starting with planning and production through the business of sale and marketing. The students decide on the prices of the sale based on their costs and they keep it low.” They start the plants from seeds and plugs they’ve ordered.
Sanders said that the Buhler High School greenhouse was built 33 years ago and has held a plant sale most of those years. This year is Sanders’ second year. The profit from the sale goes into plant sale supplies for next year. She said they are not in it to make a lot of money and that it’s more of a learning experience.
“The students grew 14 thousand plants this year,” said Sanders. “Last year, they grew 9 thousand. There are only 4 kids in the class. It’s impressive what they’ve done this year production-wise.”
The hours for the plant sale are Thursday, April 24 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Friday, April 25 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday April 26 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Shoppers are asked to enter through the South side of the school near the shop garage door. They will remain open while supplies last, and they do not provide guarantees, but recommend buyers use their best practices for proper care. They cannot hold stock and plants are available on a first come, first serve basis.
To learn more about the Buhler FFA Horticulture Program, email Sanders at rsanders@usd313.org.
Other plant sales in the area are available through nonprofit clubs and for-profit businesses. The Hutchinson Horticulture Club will have a sale on April 19 at Dillon Nature Center, 3002 East 30th, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This sale is a fundraiser for the club to raise funds to support the Horticulture Clubs activities including The “Gathering for Gardeners,” the 50’ x 15’ flower bed at the Main Street entrance to Carey Park, and club meetings with educational programs. The meetings are usually scheduled monthly on the third Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. and the meeting schedules are available at the plant sale and on their Facebook page.
For gardeners interested in planting native Kansas wildflowers and plants, the Flora Kansas: Native Plant Days Spring Native Plant Days Sale is held on April 25 through April 28 at the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, 177 W Hickory Street in Hesston. They have a members only event on April 24 giving members first pick and options for coupons and discounts.
Stutzmans Garden Centers in Pleasantview and Hutchinson on 30th Street have sales throughout the growing season, and some of their most popular sales happen in April. They will have a spring kick-off event from April 10 through April 13, where everyone who makes a purchase gets a free tomato plant. April 14 through 27 is their full six-pack flat annual flower sale. April 24 is their party on the patio sale from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. where they will have planting demonstrations at their greenhouse in Pleasantview. And from April 28 to May 4 is their premium, annual sale, where buyers who purchase a full flat of their 4.5” pot annuals receive a 1.5 cubic foot bag of Stutzman’s fertilizer.
Prairie Hills Nursery, 2999 East 30th, is offering a $9.99 sale on bags of cedar mulch from April 1 through April 30.
Kaw Valley Greenhouses, on 30th Street in Hutchinson, announces its weekly sales on Tuesday nights on its Facebook page and to its loyalty program email subscribers. The weekly sales run Wednesday morning through Tuesday night, and the first sale starts Wednesday, April 16.
One plant sale that has been canceled this year is Hutch Rec’s Lesser Known Lovelies sale at Dillon Nature Center.
