A growing concern: Greensburg Garden Center’s May Mart

Carol Martinek is focusing on sprucing up her Cheswick backyard this year.

She picked up a few flowering plants at the Greensburg Garden Center & Civic Center’s May Mart on Saturday to put toward the project. Among her purchases were candytuft, cranesbill geranium and the tiny blue flowers of forget-me-nots, all of which are low-growing varieties that Martinek expects to spread.

“Now I’m turning my attention to my backyard and I am so excited about it,” she said.

Others shared in her excitement while shopping at the center’s annual plant sale fundraiser.

Tim Phillips of Hempfield said he always finds a new and interesting perennial there to add to his garden with the help of knowledgeable volunteers.

“Being outside in my yard is my therapy,” he said.

The May Mart was busy on a sunny Friday afternoon but had slowed down by mid-morning Saturday as rain moved through the region. Organizer Elizabeth Pesci said plant sales typically bring in $7,500 to $8,000, which is about a quarter of the center’s budget.

The event has been going on for more than 55 years. It offers gardeners a variety of perennials, annual hanging baskets, vegetables, herbs and other items.

Money raised during the sale goes toward scholarships for students, educational programming for members and the public, as well as events, Pesci said.

Shoppers this year knew exactly what they wanted.

“All the coneflowers were gone, all the milkweeds that the monarchs like, they go right away,” Pesci said, referring to monarch butterflies.

Both perennials are beneficial to pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. Also popular were black- and brown-eyed Susans, lavender and delphinium.

“We have a lot of things that are just gone as soon as we open,” she said.

For shoppers who aren’t sure what they want, that’s where volunteers, like Agnes Lapa, step in. Lapa, who has been a center member for about 30 years, said she can help pick out the perfect plant for shady or sunny spots.

“I have gardened all my life and I have just learned from gardening,” she said. “I love it and it’s just part of my DNA.”

At the Benedictine Farm booth, sweet pea flowers, lily of the valley and cosmos were popular among customers.

“It seems like people want the showy flowers,” Cassandra Glaser said.

She and Adam Glaser run the Armstrong County farm. Next to their booth was the Greenridge Garden Club, which appeared to be low on stock of the hundreds of heirloom tomato plants that members brought in for sale. Phillips was relieved to see there were still some left, though.

”I always get tomatoes here,” he said. “I thought I was going to miss it because I’m pretty late this year.”