Contributing writer
Members of the New Castle Garden Club will hold their annual Plant Auction on Thursday, April 25. The doors open at New Castle Christian Church Fellowship Hall at 6 p.m. and the bidding starts at 6:30.
The plant auction will be filled with locally grown houseplants, perennials, herbs, vegetable starts, day lilies and other plants native to the area. All the plants have been grown by New Castle Garden Club members and are ready to be planted. Club member Tina Crawford shared, “There is always a variety of plants, all “home-grown” so the buyers can be assured they will do well in Craig County.”
A variety of indoor plants such as Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti, Shamrock plants, Mother-in-law Tongue, jade plants and other tropicals are expected. Outdoor plants include perennials such as hostas, iris, day lilies, bee balm, lilies of the valley, hollyhock, and candytuft. Culinary herbs are usually available. Flowering trees and shrubs, including lilac, forsythia, and others are also usually available.
The public is welcome and the plants will be on display for previewing. The professional auctioneer will get the auction started at 6:30. Refreshments will be served during the auction.
The plant auction supports the work of the New Castle Garden Club, an institution of New Castle and Craig County since 1939. Club members maintain the flower gardens at the historic cabins owned by the Craig County Historical Society. Seasonal plantings and a nativity scene display at the Craig County Courthouse are just some of the club’s projects.
In 2023, the club did an entire makeover of the Post Office’s landscaping, thanks to a generous grant they were awarded by the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. The club provides vases of fresh-cut flowers for the dining tables at Camp Easter Seal weekly when summer camp is in session. The New Castle Garden Club meets monthly and continues to beautify the community with their work.
