Spring Garden Gala Has Native Plant Flair

It’s officially a trend: Many gardeners are looking for ways to incorporate more native plants in their yards and landscapes to benefit bees, butterflies, insects and wildlife. This year, the MSHS Garden Gala will focus on garden-worthy native plants and how to use them in your garden to create beauty and habitat.

The gala is an annual fundraising event for MSHS education programs, such as Garden-in-a-Box, which last year introduced more than 3,500 children and adults to the benefits of gardening.  The gala is a fun and popular event—with a delicious lunch served by the folks at the Lake Elmo Inn Event Center, a raffle, centerpiece giveaways, a silent auction and a wall of wine. For many garden clubs, master gardener groups and gardening friends, attending the gala is the start to the garden season.

This year, the gala will be held Thursday, April 2, at the Lake Elmo Inn Event Center in Lake Elmo. Doors open at 11 and lunch is served at noon. Kaitlyn O’Connor of Prairie Moon Nursery in Winona will then introduce us to a variety of garden-worthy native plants and give tips on how to incorporate natives into traditional landscapes and why gardeners in the North are embracing native plants more now.

The garden gala often sells out, so please reserve your tickets now. Cost is $65 per person, with a $5 discount for MSHS members.

For more information on the gala, contact Diane Duvall at dianed at northerngardener dot org.