Volunteers In Corrections

RCCF/VIC spring flower sale update 2026

 

As I write this it is 12 degrees outside, and we just endured our biggest snowstorm of the season and also 55+ MPH wind gusts here at RCCF.  It was not a pleasant weekend here!  Fortunately, the snow caused no damage and the damage caused by the high winds was able to be repaired.  Needless to say, it does not feel very much like spring, but nonetheless we continue our march towards our first sales date with the busiest 2 weeks of the planting season coming up!

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RCCF and the VIC are planning for the biggest Spring Flower Sale here ever, and we are looking forward to serving all of our dedicated customers and new ones alike, in just a few short weeks.  We are partnering with the “Ramsey County Volunteer Gardeners” (formerly RC Master Gardeners) organization this spring to help get all our work done and we are right on schedule as of right now!

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We will be carrying all of your old favorites as well as some new and different varieties this season.  The annual flower industry is very fluid, and trends change almost yearly, and we try our hardest to stay ahead of those.  We will continue to be a grower that produces high quality hanging basket and deck containers, as well as a large selection of annual packs, herbs, vegetable and perennials.

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New for this year will be a flat of 32 native perennials sold as a whole flat, designed to be a pollinator attractor.  These will be extremely competitively priced and we will have a relatively large number of them.  We will also feature a larger selection of 4” pot perennials as well as some ferns this season.  As a note, our perennials in 4” pots are not all “native”, but are often selections of native species and are completely appropriate for pollinators and being mixed with native species.

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Also this year, since we tend to be mostly sold out by the 3rd weekend, we are going to increase the number of flats of annuals that we grow.  These are your typical marigolds, impatiens and petunia etc.  I am hoping to be able to increase the amount by 25-33% based on the space we have.  As always, shopping early will help insure that you are able to get what you want, but we should have a bit more of everything this year.

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We will feature 3 different basket sizes (10”, 12”, 14’) as well as some premium “fiber baskets”.  We will also have 5 sizes of deck planters, from 10.5”, 11”, 13”, 16” and the large 21”.  As always, some of these baskets and pots are limited in the number of each variety we do in them.  Some are “one or two of a kind”.

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Pricing this year will be similar to the past, although we are increasing our prices for the first time since 2022.  The nursery industry as a whole has been pretty dramatically affected by the tariff policies as well as inflation in general.  A great deal of thought went into this decision, and I did not make it lightly.  Our price increases are generally LESS than the increased prices we faced.  I am just trying to balance the equation a bit.

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We will still be featuring $1 vegetable and herbs, and out most expensive item on the “menu” will still only be $55 for the HUGE 21” pots.  We offer high quality plant material at very competitive prices and will continue to do so.

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We will continue to specialize in large mixed species, mixed color baskets and pots that give our customers an entire season of enjoyment with the proper care.

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Below are this season’s sales dates and hours.  Please note that there are a few changes, particularly to the Friday we are now closing at 4:00 pm in deference  to our volunteer's time.  Also note that Memorial Day is “early” this year.  We do not work the Friday, Saturday or Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, but we will be open the Wednesday and Thursday before.  All dates and times will continue to be posted and updated on both the VIC homepage and Facebook page, as well as the Ramsey County website.

 

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We look forward to seeing you in a couple of months!

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Lt. K. Sean Uslabar

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RCCF Nursery Manager

 

 

 

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P.S.  KMSP TV ran a story on our 2022 plant sale, check it out HERE!

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