Gardeners, rejoice. Spring is ushering in longer days, beautiful blooms and the highly anticipated Morris Arboretum Annual Plant Sale. 

Arboretum members can get early dibs on plants on Friday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The plant sale opens to the general public on Saturday, May 7, the day before Mother’s Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

The sale will be held in the LEED Platinum-certified Horticulture Center at Bloomfield Farm, across from the Arboretum’s main entrance at 100 E. Northwestern Ave. in Chestnut Hill. Shoppers can wander through rows and rows of booths loaded with hard-to-find, rare and unusual plants, as well as an array of shrubs and trees. Herbs and annuals start at $2.

Whether you’re a rowhouse gardener with empty window boxes to fill, a first time urban vegetable gardener, or a plant lover with a green thumb, you’ll find the perfect pieces for your garden.

“Every plant at the sale is specially selected to thrive in this area,” says Michelle Conners, special events coordinator at the Arboretum. “We’re not selling filler plants like you’d find at the big box stores. You may not recognize some of the plants we have. That’s what makes the Arboretum sale special. You can talk to the staff and ask the horticultural experts questions.”

Shoppers can expect to find a wonderful selection of clematis and plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and roses selected for their disease resistance, at the Plant Sale, too.

Nine horticultural experts, easily spotted by their red aprons, will be on hand to share gardening tips and advice with shoppers. Guest experts, such as garden writers Stephanie Cohen and Bill Barnes, and plant propagator Rick Ray, will also give tips.

The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Rhododendron Society will set up shop selling brightly colored woody plants, rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas.

Parking is free for everyone attending the Plant Sale.

For more information, including how to become a member, visit the Arboretum website at www.morrisarboretum.org.