10 Expert Picks to Celebrate 10 Years of the MSV Plant Sale

All of the plants in the Heritage Plant Sale have been handpicked by the horticultural staff for their ability to thrive in Shenandoah Valley gardens. In this blog, Perry Mathewes—MSV Director of Gardens—shares his top 10 plant picks at this year’s sale.

The MSV Heritage Plant Sale began in 2016 as a modest fundraiser by the gardens department to support the care of the formal landscape. With a limited selection of plants and humble expectations, we weren’t sure how the sale would be received—but the community responded with enthusiasm. Since then, the plant sale has grown into one of the Museum’s most anticipated annual events—and an important fundraiser that supports the ongoing maintenance and stewardship of the MSV gardens.

Now, as we prepare for our tenth Heritage Plant Sale. we’re offering more than 160 plant varieties and over 4,000 plants. The 2025 sale takes place this Friday and Saturday, May 16–17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an MSV members-only preview on Thursday, May 15, from 5 to 7 p.m.

While the event has expanded over the years, the mission remains the same: sharing quality plants with our community. To celebrate ten years of the MSV Heritage Plant Sale—and a decade of incredible community support—here are ten of my favorite plants from this year’s event (shop early for the best selection!).

Columbine – For a garden that has a little bit of shade, this is a great spring flowering plant. We have two types of columbines on offer. The Kirigami series features cultivars of Aquilegia caerulea in blue, white, and pink shades. They produce large outward facing blooms that provide bright color in shady corners of the garden. The native Aquilegia canadensis features more subtle nodding red flowers that are just charming. Columbines are short lived perennials, but don’t be deterred, as they easily self-sow their seeds. In years to come you will see more columbine scattered throughout the garden bed.

False Indigo – Baptisia australis is a great North American native perennial that can really fill a garden bed. The plant can grow 3–4′ tall and wide so make sure you have room. If you do, spikes of colorful flowers make a big show each May while later in the summer, the inflated black seed pods also provide interest. We have two cultivars available this year, ‘Plum Rosy’ features bicolored spikes of mauve-pink and white flowers, while ‘American Goldfinch’ has brilliant yellow flowers. We have used false indigo in our garden for years and I find it to be a reliable plant that performs well in heat and drought. It really shows off in late spring but is a solid performer all year long.

Blazing Star – Liatris spicata is a native plant found in the western mountains of Virginia. An upright perennial, a tuft of green strappy leaves forms at the base of an upright spike of fluffy purple flowers. This rugged plant is a pollinator magnet and when in bloom it is covered with butterflies and bees. It tolerates drought and clay soil but does appreciate moderate amount of moisture.

Button Bush – Cephalanthus occidentalis is a native shrub that is not for every garden but excellent for those for which it is suited. Naturally growing in wetlands and along stream banks, it flourishes in damp soil and can even tolerate standing water. This rounded shrub grows 6–12 feet tall and up to eight feet wide with spiky white flower balls in mid-summer that are attractive to many of our native butterflies. It is a pretty low maintenance shrub that provides an interesting summer display.

Virginia Sweetspire – Itea virginica is an underappreciated shrub. Native to the Virginia piedmont and coastal plain, it is a solid garden performer even here. Another plant naturally found along stream edges, it is quite tolerant of a variety of conditions except for extremely dry soils. They do well in rain gardens. In late spring bottle-brush flower droop from the branches attracting a variety of pollinators and then the seeds draw the birds to the plant later in the summer. It will spread by suckers and ultimately forms a small colony so give it some space. It is great for a hedge and deer usually don’t browse on it.

Fringetree – Chionanthus virginicus is a slow growing small native tree with spectacular white fringed flowers in early May. Similar to a dogwood in size, it will grow up to twenty-five feet tall and wide. The popularity of this tree in garden settings has waxed and waned over the years. In 1857, Thomas Nuttall wrote, “When in flower … few objects can be seen more singular and elegant; the panicles of pendant flowers with which it is then clad give it the appearance of a mass of snow-white fringe, and when the flowers fade, the ground seems covered with a carpet of white shreds.” But by the 1940s it was everywhere, and Elizabeth Lawrence lamented, “I wish that some of our more interesting native shrubs were as popular as the fringe trees, Chionanthus virginicus, that repeat their colorless pattern of shredded petals and pale leaves in nearly every garden in April. The flowers remind me of slaw.” With the growing interest in native plants, there seems to be more interest in planting this tree again. It can be slow to get to size so patience is a virtue when planting this tree.

Honeysuckle – Vines are a fantastic addition to any garden, adding a vertical element without the broad space required for a tree. Our native trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a vigorous climber that can get 10–15 feet tall and sometimes reach as high as twenty feet. Since it is a twining climber, it will need something to wrap around as it grows, or you could leave it to sprawl as a groundcover. Clusters of orange-red tubular flowers bloom in late spring, proving to be a magnet for hummingbirds.

Phlox – This is an old-fashioned plant that many people take for granted but then realize what a solid performer it can be in the garden. We have several different kinds of phlox available at the sale. The tall garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is a staple in any heirloom garden providing two to four feet tall stalks capped by a cluster of flowers in an assortment of colors during mid and late summer. It has a reputation for getting mildew, but many newer cultivars are selected for their ability to avoid this issue. Another popular phlox is the creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) that spreads like a carpet along the ground and is covered in blooms in the spring. They do well in full sun and with lots of drainage which makes them a staple for many a steep hill or rock garden. Finally, the woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) is a clumping phlox that sprawls across the ground, preferably in partially shady locations. It also does well in rock gardens or as groundcover in woodland settings. This too blooms in the spring. All the phlox provide lots of nectar to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds as well as hosting several different butterfly and moth larvae. Having several different types provides a season long buffet for our pollinators.

Muhly grass – In general, I am not an enthusiastic fan of ornamental grasses, but Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) always impresses me in the fall when its flowers produce a pink haze over the mounding grass. This is a clump forming grass of narrow wiry leaves that produces an airy flower in September and October. A single plant makes an interesting specimen in the garden growing 3–4 feet wide and tall, but a mass planting can be a showstopper. Well drained soil is necessary for this plant as it will languish if too much moisture sits around the roots. This native plant is a good host plant for many skipper butterflies.

Lavender – I remember a conversation I had with my staff about a planting in the new parking lot six years ago. The design called for a formal row of trees along the central sidewalk, but the narrow nature of the planting islands along with shallow layer of rocky soils above the stormwater management system was going to be problematic for a healthy tree. We both knew that a plant like lavender would thrive in such well-drained conditions. Our only concern was how they would fare with the winter winds. We decided to go for it and the experiment paid off handsomely. Each summer the flowers fill the parking lot with brilliant color and an intense fragrance. We chose the Phenomenal hybrid which is known for its cold hardiness and tolerance for high humidity. It requires good drainage and rocky or sandy soil. In fact, it may languish in regularly enhanced or fertilized garden soils. We also offer the Sensational hybrid, which is more compact plant compared to the Phenomenal hybrid.

There are many more excellent plants in this year’s sale—see the full list here. We hope you’ll stop by, meet the MSV horticultural team, and get their recommendations for the best plants for your garden.

Happy planting!