Gardening: Friends of Manito plant sale offers perennials, vegetables, hostas and more

Thu., June 5, 2025

The Friends of Manito Spring Plant Sale is Saturday at Manito Park. Past sales like this one have offered hundreds of plants for the choosing – many you won’t find anywhere else in town. (Courtesy)

By Pat Munts For The Spokesman-Review

OK, gardeners, if you still have money in your plant budget or room on your credit card, the Friends of Manito have another wonderful plant shopping opportunity coming up Saturday.

The group, often known by its initials TFM, will be hosting its annual spring plant sale at Manito Park on Spokane’s South Hill. The sale will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the fenced parking lot just east of the Gaiser Conservatory, 4 W. 21st Ave.

This spring’s sale will offer more than 500 varieties of perennials, vegetables, fruits, shrubs and houseplants to choose from. With that many choices, it might be good to prepare a shopping list before you go. The plant list can be found on the sale’s website at thefriendsofmanito.org/plant-sales.

All plants are carefully chosen to be hardy here. Any questions you might have about growing them will be answered by the sale’s volunteer staff. Many of the plants are those you won’t find anywhere else in town.

The sale is widely known as the place to get your hostas and shade-loving plants. There will be 47 cultivars of hostas in many shades of greens and yellow. Members of TFM get a 10% discount on their purchases and there is still time to sign up for a membership at the link above.

Manito Park is the crown jewel of the Spokane parks system and is known nationally for its garden displays. Originally known in 1884 as Montrose Park, it was renamed Manito Park in 1903. The name Manito is said to mean “hill top” or “spirit of nature.” Today, the park is known for its Ferris Perennial Garden, Rose Garden, the formal Duncan Gardens, Lilac Garden and the Gaiser Conservatory. Mirror Pond draws many people to watch the geese and ducks while its wild areas let people wander through natural areas still in the rough.

While the Spokane Parks Department manages the park, its budget and manpower can only go so far to keeping the park looking beautiful.

TFM then steps in to help with financial support for special maintenance and improvement projects that enhance visitors’ experiences.

This year, funds raised at the plant sale will go toward repairing the fountain in the Duncan Gardens. The fountain has been broken for a while and the public has been asking when it will be back online again.

TFM also offers educational events throughout the year that help connect people back to the joy of being in nature.

Parking is always a challenge at the park. There’s a lot across the park road to the west from the park offices and the conservatory. Don’t want to haul your finds all the way back to your car? Park your cart by the conservatory and drive around and load it.

Gnashing your teeth because you can’t make this sale?

Don’t worry, mark your calendar for TFM’s fall sale Aug. 23, again at Manito Park.

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