Teatown To Hold PlantFest Celebration, Sale

OSSINING, NY — Teatown will celebrate PlantFest, its two-day plant sale now in its 28th year. It will be held Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11. All proceeds from PlantFest benefit Teatown’s environmental education and conservation initiatives. The event is at Teatown, 1600 Spring Valley Road in Ossining.

PlantFest distinguishes itself from other area plant sales by the depth and array of perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, organic herbs and vegetables, native plants and pollinator-friendly and hummingbird–attracting varieties, as well as more than a dozen complementary vendors, according to organizers.

The May 10 “First Pick” sale ($20 admission), from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., includes live music, small plates created by local chefs, wine, local craft beer and hard cider. The May 11 sale (free admission) will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with lunch fare available for purchase from creative food trucks.

More than a dozen complementary vendors will offer a great selection of Mother’s Day gifts: handmade wooden bowls, bee products, garden habitat planting kits and design services, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, crystals and minerals, herbal vinegars, organic vegetables, local breads and even knife and tool-sharpening — so bring your dull and rusty tools and have “Nick the Knife” sharpen while you shop.

In honor of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s (BBG) role in cultivating this event 28 years ago, PlantFest will feature the "Elizabeth" Magnolia, considered the most lovely and rare of the eight yellow-flowering hybrids developed at the BBG’s world-famous breeding program. Named for Elizabeth Van Brunt, the Kitchawan Farm neighbor who donated the property to BBG for their research facility in the 1950s, it will be the “belle of the ball.” A limited number will be available for sale.

Guided tours of Teatown’s Wildflower Island will be offered at at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wildflower Island is home to more than 200 varieties of wildflowers. Due to the island’s fragile habitat, tours will be limited to 12 people. Register by calling 914-762-2912 x110.

New This Year

May 10 “First Pick”

• 3 local chefs offering “small plates”: Peter Pratt’s Inn, RiverMarket and Black Rock Kitchen
• Live acoustic music from Rip and the Sleepy Hollow Boys
• Jan Johnsen, local Croton author and New York Botanical Garden instructor, will be signing copies of her newly released book "Gardentopia."
• Old York Farm Distillery of Hudson will offer tastings of their unique line of spirits and will have their products available for sale.

May 11 event

• Food trucks: The Big Fish from Mt. Kisco Seafood and 3 Little Pigs BBQ food trucks will sell lunch fare at Saturday’s PlantFest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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