I think it might be kind of late to plant, if you are not talking about growing from seed. I just don't think there is much time for any root growth to get established, but I suppose if the plant survived the winter as is, it could perhaps start growing okay in the spring...

Hmmm, maybe iris cristata? Is this grown from bulbs? Or maybe rhizomes...? But I do think they are May bloomers. Pretty, IMO, although small. Along these same lines perhaps some of the smaller bulbs - scilla, chionodoxa... although some of these may be TOO early, lol! Or do you not want bulbs...?

Peonies? They may be more of a June bloomer, but I'm not really up on varieties, so maybe there is an earlier variety.

I also thought of asiatic lilies, but think they may be later too. Easter lilies? Hellebores?

This is a tough one, at this late time. Maybe you should reconsider WSing some first-year bloomers...

Hopefullly someone will chime in. It's certainly for a good cause!

Dee

Just thought of another - pulmonaria. Early bloomer, attractive foliage. Again, it comes down to first of all, finding it now, and secondly, planting it this late...

Dee

Dee,

Thank you so much for responding to my question. I did some research on a couple of your suggestions, hellebores and pulmonaria, and they both take at least two years to bloom as far as I could find out. I do appreciate your help and will start looking NOW for what I should plant this spring to sell in May, 2013. Thanks again.

zahzeen - I kept a diary this year of what was in bloom each week in my garden. I started the last week of May. Here's what was blooming that week:

Ajuga, azalea, baptisia, bleeding heart, centaurea Montana, clematis, columbine, coral bells, dianthus, geum, lupine, weigela, Siberian iris, tall bearded iris, penstemon, peony, meadow sage, mock orange, painted daisy, sweet William, trollius/globeflower, tradescantia

Of those, the following were winter sown: columbine, dianthus, lupine, penstemon, Siberian iris, painted daisy, sweet William, trollius/globeflower

I have seeds for most of them I could send you and you could WS them this year for blooms in May 2013.

To add on to gardenweed's post, I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I am almost certain that I got first-year blooms from WSing lupines and sweet william. Also columbine, but these can be a bit finicky to WS, if you haven't tried them already. After 8 years, sometimes I have great results, sometimes nothing. But maybe you can try WSing these three for spring 2012.

Trying to think of any other first-year, WSown, spring bloomers.....

Dee

Would it be practical to try to propagate a load of coleus and/or impatiens? Cuttings of these plants root awfully easily, and can be overwintered, if you have not-too-sunny window sills or a basement where you can rig up lights. The impatiens should bloom for you in time, or at least be budded up nicely, if you warm them up slowly starting in March. Places like Mahoneys should be willing to give you a good price on these plants, since they don't want to overwinter them; I wouldn't necessarily mention plans to propagate them, though.

I am trying to propagte carnations impatiens and geraninums so I can do hanging baskets on my own.( They sell SUPER WELL and I can never get enough donated)

I tried coleus last year with no luck..( But I was doing too much stuff inside and it got neglected.)

I have a small light set up that I use for Toms,peppers and basil,parsley.
I get a lot of annuals donated that are in bloom, marigolds,petunia,impatients,coleus,snapdragons,dianthus,ect

Lori Packard at packard farms in brockton REALLY takes good care of us in annuals. She doanted about $500.00 bucks a WEEK to us

What we could really use is
a) more people to help grow perennials for 2013 and 2014. My growing space will be underconstruction sometime this year...I am getting 2 40ft raised beds and a 12x24 greenhouse! but its going where I grow plants now.

b) People to come spend time at the sale helping out

c) a good bench card with a pic of plant in bloom for each item.

d) People willing to ask thier local nursery to support us with donations of herbs,toms,hangers,geraniums,cemetary baskets for memorial day.
c is a cumbersome job that Aaron and I have been trying to find a good way to collect store and sort the data and images needed to do a data base of bench cards.

I can help with a) but the distance to Avon, MA is a hindrance/roadblock/challenge when delivery/plant sale time rolls around. I can easily get milk jugs for WS and I harvest so many seeds I could start my own botanical garden. I'll volunteer to WS as many perennial seeds as possible and pot them up/plant them out when the time comes. As they mature, we could dig/pot them up for sale. I've got an acre of land that's not being used for farming; might as well put to good use the dirt on which my folks spent 50 years organic gardening. This dirt would likely grow amazing vegetables.*

*[Guess I should warn you that I can't grow zucchini but I'm hoping that's a thumbprint thing, not a soil thing.]

Michelle - which perennials sell best? Some don't come up and bloom until later in the season. I can grow whatever but it's likely folks will buy what's blooming or covered with buds rather than what will bloom later.

I can help with a) but the distance to Avon, MA

We can figure that out.. We make trips from Dighton to the lakes region of NH to collect donations. If you look at the blog Hubby made a shelf rig so i can haul more plants in it http://www.crazyplantlady.org/
As far as what sells... what ever is in bloom does really well. I have yet to nail down a way to have a good list of what the blooming plants are.
Most times people say ..I have this space that needs plants... and we go from there. We look up on i phones what the plant looks like in bloom or look it up in my plant books.

We me aaron marlene and the mass hort volunteers act like any other good nursery and ask them where the plant is going or what the needs are then tell em what we know about it.. the simple common stuff does really well// daisy iris,Black eye susan Galliarda, toms herbs,comlubine lupin,clematis, rose and hydranga shrubs, then the exotic gingers and jack in pulpit , do well with the REAL plant nuts like us.
We get a lot of people that say ( I kill plants..and 2 come back later and say Yours are the only plants I did not kill...
it's the best compliment we can get. AS is your willingness to join the cause! WHOOT WHOOT!!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.crazyplantlady.org/