A cold drizzle did nothing to slow the droves of plant lovers who lined up bright and early for the annual Mountain Garden Club plant sale on Saturday.
With dozens of varieties of native plants available for purchase, volunteers did their best to direct traffic once the floodgates opened at 9 a.m.
The 2023 plant sale was dedicated to the memory of garden club member Sarah Sloan, who passed away in 2022.
Sloan was co-chair of The Butterfly Garden and enjoyed working with the ‘hummers.’ The hummers were the lower grade students who, with the help of Sarah and other Mountain Garden Club members, helped them learn about butterflies and how important they are to our gardens. She also helped with the club’s Smoky the Bear initiative in helping those same children learn about fire prevention by having a visit by Smoky the Bear.
Sloan believed in helping children of all ages. She co-chaired the Mountain Garden Club’s Scholarship committee which helped many Highlands’ students further their education past high school.
Other committees she volunteered to were Garden Therapy at the Fidelia Eckerd Living Center, Member Care, Publicity, Devotions and Membership. Sarah and her husband, Wiley both took volunteerism to the next level. She opened her beautiful home many times for club meetings.
The annual plant sale serves as a fundraiser to support the club’s many beautification initiatives on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. For more information about the Mountain Garden Club, visit www.highlandsmountaingardenclub.org.