As mild weather arrives, garden clubs sell the overflow from members' gardens, to fund club activities (including much community service). Other organizations, too — and some garden centers — celebrate spring with price breaks on plants. Here what's caught my attention: they're all free; most take place rain or shine — or snow!

Friday April 25, 3 - 6 pm; and Saturday April 26, 8 am - noon: Middlesex Conservation District Spring Plant Sale. Trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs, summer-blooming bulbs, compost bins ... and more. See their website (but there will be additional plants not listed on the Web). Take Route 110 north from Westford towards Chelmsford; take the first right onto South Chelmsford Road (there'll be a sign at the turn), proceed to the 4-H Fairgrounds.

Saturday, May 3, at 10 am: Water Garden Seminar at Central Mass Garden center, on Route 13 in Lunenburg; then through May 9: 15% off water garden equipment and plants. (978) 582-9400.

Saturday, May 10, 8:30 am - noon: Groton Garden Club, plant sale at Groton Town Hall: perennials, some herbs and annuals, some organically grown. Contact Lynne Kavanagh, (978) 448-9443 9 - 11:30 am: The Amherst Garden Club, on the Village Common in Amherst, NH. Fifteen hundred plants, and baked goods. Contact Jan Ward, (603) 672-1117, or see the Amherst Garden Club's website .

Sunday, May 11 (Mothers' Day): Central Mass Garden Center, 15% off flowering trees and hanging baskets.

Saturday, May 17, 8 am - 1 pm: Pepperell Garden Club, plant sale at the Lawrence Library. Heavy on perennials, including some roses. Contact Jennifer Conneilly, (978) 433-3071. 9 am - noon: Garden Club of Harvard, on Harvard Common. Over a thousand plants, some heirloom varieties. Contact Lesley Shepherd (978) 897-0688.

(Even more on May 17) 10 am - 3 pm: Society Row Sale (formerly part of Arnold Arboretum sales). Waltham Field Station (UMass), 246 Beaver St. Waltham MA. Members of organizations for the following subjects will be presenting information and selling thousands of rare and unusual plants: African Violet, Bamboo, Begonia, Bromeliad, Cacti and Succulents, Chestnut, Conifer, Daylily, Florists and Gardeners, Gloxinia and Gesneriad, Indoor Gardeners, Horticultural Therapy, HortResources Network, Hosta, Iris, Landscape Design, Lilac, Miniature Plants, Orchid, Primrose, Peony, Rock Garden, and Rose. Contact Art Scarpa, (781) 944-5959.

Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day): Central Mass Garden Center: 15% off memorial flowers.

Sunday, June 1, 11 am -2 pm: Central Massachusetts Plant Swap, at the pavilion at Green Hill park in Worcester. Bring a picnic lunch, with a dessert to share. You are asked to take home approximately the same number of plants that you brought. Make reservations please, so the organizer can plan properly: call Judith at 978-365-6080.

June 15 (Fathers' Day): Central Mass Garden Center: 15% off shade trees.

I want to go to them all!

Middlesex Conservation District

Amherst Garden Club

Central Massachusetts Plant Swap

Directions to the Waltham Field Station

For other events not listed, check out

• The Local Plant Sale thread at GardenWeb
• The Central NH Plant Swap thread at GardenWeb
• the GardenWeb Calendar.
• For Indoor plants, see The Combined Societies Plant Sale — African Violet, Begonia, Gloxinia and Gesneriad Societies, Black Jungle Terrarium Supply, HortResources and Master Gardeners.

And just for the humor of it:

• Pictures of the Pepperell Garden Club's 2002 Plant Sale, in the snow