Celebrate 50 years of selling William Paca garden plants! On Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, 2024, volunteers from Historic Annapolis and the Paca Garden will open the doors to offer thousands of plants for your shopping pleasure. Join us for this beloved tradition, find the perfect plants for you, and bring home a piece of history!
Colorful annuals range from bold rain lilies to misty blue ageratum to bold zinnias. For something dramatic, choose red canes with deep red foliage, or the Friendship Sage, five meters tall and bright purple. Add another dimension to this colorful backdrop with plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies like the ‘Red Butterfly’ goldenrod. Our selection of unusual vines include the purple hyacinth bean and the Moonflower vine, which develops its creamy flowers in the evening. The most curious is the snail vine, an intensely fragrant cream and the purple helix that fascinated Thomas Jefferson.
Returning year after year, perennials like hellebores, cyclamen, bluebells and woodland phlox tell you that winter has finally fled. Ferns, irises, hostas and peonies can be depended on to require little care. Culver Root is a new native offering that looks like white candles in the shade. Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’ is tall with red and green leaves and pink flowers. Cranesbill ‘Biokova’ will cover your beds with deep pink flowers for the middle of summer. Butterflies and bees will come to Phlox ‘Jeana’ and ‘Golden Fleece’ golden stick.
The star of the woody plants is a new dwarf hydrangea ‘Miss Saori’, with white double pink flowers. Native Annabelle and Oakleaf hydrangeas are hardy performers. Vitex, or Chaste Tree, is an heirloom shrub propagated by the Paca Garden. Blooms in early summer with lilac-type flowers. Also from the garden, bald cypress and Washington Buckeye.
Culinary gardeners offer tomatoes by the dozen, from heirlooms like Brandywine or Mortgage Lifter to the unusual Green Zebra. Peppers, hot as Dragon Breath – or not, as Mini-Bells. A new discovery this year is the wild arugula, with extra spice in its narrow leaves. And all the traditional flavors: parsley, sage, thyme, chives, three types of basil and more.
Sales hours are Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, May 12 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the Paca Garden Plant Sale is free, and located at 1 Martin Street in Annapolis. Historic Annapolis members receive early admission at 9:30 am on Saturday, and a discount on their purchase. Gardeners will be on hand to recommend choices for your growing conditions.
The Paca Garden Plant Sale catalog will be available online at annapolis.org Beginning May 3, printed copies will be available for $5 at the William Paca House (186 Prince George Street) and the Historic Annapolis Museum (99 Main Street).
Proceeds from the sale of Paca Garden plants benefit the programs of Historic Annapolis and the William Paca Garden.
