CHS Plant Sale: A Tradition that has continued for over 35 years

No one seems to remember the exact date, but at least 35 years ago, Craig Rankin started a plant sale to raise money for the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS). Craig came to Vermont from Long Island where he was a landscape architect working on a wide range of high-profile projects, including Yankee Stadium, the Wollman skating rink in Central Park, Jones Beach, and the New York State Thruway.

Craig was to hosta as Johnny Appleseed was to the apple-everyone needed to have one. As a result, nearly every home in Cavendish has a hosta plant.

Craig also graced Cavendish with his incredible artistic skill, of pen and ink drawings of well known landmarks in and around Cavendish. CHS has some of his original cards for sale that he drew as part of the "Save the Valley" campaign, which prevented the damming of the Black River. 

With Craig's passing in 2008, his legacy of the plant sale continued. This year the sale will be on Saturday, June 27, from 9-2 at the CHS Museum on Route 131 in the Village of Cavendish. Yes, there will be many different varieties of hosta, along with other types of perennials (iris, day lilies, pachysandra, ginger, forsythia, Lady's Mantle and more). For the first time, we have tomato plants all ready for your porch or patio. 

Other items for sale include fire starters and magical flowers made from the cans found on Cavendish’s highways and byways.

FMI: margoc@tds.net or 802-226-7807