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Botanical sale blooms on garden site

Last Saturday's botanical plant sale, hosted by the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society was different - for the first time it was held on the site of the proposed botanical garden on Mason Road, and it was a wild success.

Last Saturday's botanical plant sale, hosted by the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society was different - for the first time it was held on the site of the proposed botanical garden on Mason Road, and it was a wild success.

Plant enthusiasts began lining up at 8:45 a.m. to take advantage of the great bargains and best selection, and these early birds got the best parking spots, too. Although Sechelt Mayor Darren Inkster was slated to cut the ribbon for the first on-site plant sale, he was unable to get there in time due to the crowds. At 10 a.m. sharp Sechelt Coun. Alice Janisch launched the sale, the gates opened and crowds poured in.

Inkster arrived momentarily, as did Coun. Ann Kershaw, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country MP John Weston along with hundreds of eager garden shoppers. Local author Bill Terry signed copies of his new book, Blue Heaven, with part of the proceeds going to the grow the garden capital campaign fund.

In addition to the more than 1,000 plants on offer, tours of the property led by volunteers took more than 50 visitors to see the whole site and hear about the society's plans. Many attendees gave donations, and at the end of the day, membership in the society had swelled to 622, an all-time high.

The sale brought in a total of more than $7,000. Dozens of committed volunteers ensured this sale was a hit. Now it's up to the plant purchasers to get their own gardens in bloomin' great shape. For more information about the botanical garden, visit www.coastbotanicalgarden.org.

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