Bring the beauty and diversity of Mercer Botanic Gardens to your yard by purchasing unique plants during Mercer’s annual March Mart - Mercer Plant SAle Friday, March 20 from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday, March 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March Mart shoppers who are VIP members of The Mercer Society (TMS) will be able to arrive as early as 8 a.m. on Friday, March 20 while all TMS membership levels can enjoy early shopping benefits beginning at 10 a.m. Visit www.themercersociety.org to learn more about becoming a TMS member and the various levels of membership.
This premier, two-day event offers tax-free shopping with no admission charge. Featured items include “The Thelma Mercer Collection,” special selections of Mercer-grown plants, and varieties native to the Gulf Coast region. Plan your shopping strategy in advance by attending the March Mart Previews on Wednesday, March 11 from noon to 2 p.m. or Saturday, March 14 from 10:30 a.m. to noon and purchasing plant guides containing the March Mart map. Plants will be organized throughout Mercer’s gardens by group: annuals and perennials, fruit trees, gingers, herbs, natives, roses, shade plants, succulents, trees and shrubs, tropicals (including ferns), vines and vegetables. Vendors with bamboo, carnivorous plants, and orchids will also be onsite.
Education booths will also be available throughout the park, where experts will provide information on local wetlands and prairies, organic gardening, composting, and the importance of trees and rare plant species.
March Mart began in 1974 as a fundraiser featuring plants donated by local garden club members in old coffee cans and milk cartons. Since then, it has grown into one of the largest plant sales in the Gulf Coast region, with more than 6,000 attendees each year. March Mart now offers nearly 1,200 species of plants spanning several acres.
A limited number of wagons are available for use to shoppers on a first-come, first-served basis, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own wagons to transport purchases. A large plant holding area will be open near the Tree & Shrub display when wagons are full.
Sponsored by TMS, a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization, the sale is operated by more than 150 volunteers, many of whom work year round on plant committees to research, propagate and care for the plants sold at March Mart.
Interested in learning about the volunteer opportunities at Mercer? Discover the many ways to offer your time and talent by visiting www.hcp4.net/community/parks/mercer/volunteering.
With leadership from Commissioner R. Jack Cagle, Mercer Botanic Gardens is a Harris County Precinct 4 Parks facility located one mile north of FM 1960 at 22306 Aldine Westfield Road in Humble, 77338. For more information, contact Mercer at 281-443-8731 or visit www.hcp4.net/community/parks/mercer.
