GILROY
–– Spring-minded Hollister residents will head up the 101 this
weekend as Gilroy’s largest flower producer hosts one of the city’s
most high-profile fund-raisers Saturday, the 39th annual plant sale
at Goldsmith Seeds.
GILROY –– Spring-minded Hollister residents will head up the 101 this weekend as Gilroy’s largest flower producer hosts one of the city’s most high-profile fund-raisers Saturday, the 39th annual plant sale at Goldsmith Seeds.
Goldsmith Seeds and the Rotary Club of Gilroy will team up to raise upwards of $30,000 this weekend, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to charity. It is the only day of the year Goldsmith greenhouses are open to the public for purchases.
“We’ll be open until the customers or the plants leave, whichever goes first,” quipped Joel Goldsmith, CEO of his family’s namesake company.
The nursery will be open from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., with dozens of varieties of Goldsmith plant and flower stock to choose from. Goldsmith said his new varieties of impatiens and zinnias are among the new and improved stock the nursery will be selling.
“Basically, these varieties just perform better in the garden,” Goldsmith said. “If people come on Saturday, I promise they’ll see stuff they’ve never seen before.”
Although the flora options will be plentiful, the sole purpose of the event is to raise money for Rotary and Goldsmith Seeds. Both will focus their proceeds toward scholarships for youth interested in horticulture.
“This all started in the back of a truck more than 30 years ago, and now it’s evolved into this huge multi-greenhouse event,” said Rob Barham, president of the Gilroy Rotary Club.
In addition to the horticultural scholarships, there will be scholarships for youth to participate in Rotary’s leadership camp. Some of the proceeds will go toward Rotary’s international efforts, too.
About 100 Rotarians will help run the event which takes place at 2280 Hecker Pass Highway.
“We’re going to be making $5,000 an hour, so we have work to do,” Barham said.
The fund-raising event’s roots are nearly four decades old and today stem from the week-long “spring trials” held at the nursery.
Spring trials are a time for professional buyers, growers, landscapers and retailers to see the company’s new products. Since the plants only are for display during the spring trial, Goldsmith Seeds donates the plants to Rotary.
