Holiday shoppers looking for the perfect gift will be delighted by the offerings and the ambiance at the annual Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation Gift and Plant Sale on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. More than 50 select vendors will offer a wide assortment of plants along with garden and eco-centric, natural and handmade products perfect for gift giving. A donation of $4 for adults, 13 and up, is suggested for admission to the sale. As a thank you for their year-round support of the gardens, the suggested donation is waived for members of the Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation.
The Gift and Plant Sale is the foundation’s biggest sale event of the year, providing visitors a one-of-a-kind outdoor shopping experience amid the festive holiday decorations of the Holiday Lights in the Gardens. Proceeds from the sale and donations help fund garden improvement projects throughout the year.
Almost half of this year’s vendors will feature landscape, culinary and decorative plants, including a large variety of tropicals, Florida natives, shrubs, bamboos, bananas, succulents, orchids, annuals, vegetable plants, ginger, vines, hibiscus, butterfly plants, perennials, herbs, citrus, bromeliads, begonias, crotons, cordylines, and palm and fruit trees.
Specialty vendors will also feature a variety of items and products to help shoppers cross off even the most hard-to-shop-for persons on their holiday lists. Items include handmade jewelry crafted from sterling silver, natural and recycled materials; unique yard and garden art and décor; botanical skincare products and cosmetics; organic clothing, purses and nature-themed shirts; native plant books and information; vintage containers and home décor; and handmade cotton quilts and quilted items.
In addition to the Gift and Plant Sale event, the Botanical Bounty Gift shop will be open, offering its unique merchandise from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Shoppers and visitors can stay to enjoy the Holiday Lights in the Gardens, open nightly through Dec. 31 from 5:30 until 9:30 p.m. Other events scheduled during the Holiday Lights include seasonal entertainment.
The Florida Botanical Gardens is located at 12520 Ulmerton Road in Largo, with an alternate entrance at 12211 Walsingham Road. The gardens remain open from 7 a.m. until dusk every day. The Botanical Bounty gift store, located in the Parks and Conservation Resources building, is volunteer staffed. Hours are generally Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information about the Florida Botanical Gardens, visit www.flbg.org, or call (727) 582-2100.