The Fall Native Plant Festival

Are you a native plant novice? Expert? Somewhere in between?

Join us for the Civic Garden Center’s annual Fall Native Plant Festival on Saturday, September 6, 9am to 3pm! Whether you don’t know what a native plant is or have been growing them for years, this free, multi-vendor celebration of all things native plants is for you. You’ll be able to buy plants and get expertise from some of our region’s best known growers.

The festival also includes free mini educational sessions, local organizations, live music, food and drinks, family-friendly activities and more. Want to stay in the loop? Make sure you’re signed up for our bi-monthly eNews, The Civic Gardener, and we’ll share updates as we have them!

Vendors & Partners

The list of native plant vendors who will be in attendance continues to grow! In addition to the CGC (here’s our list!), you’ll be able to shop selections from Bean Native Nursery, the Cincinnati Nature Center, Green Living by Design, Junebug Native Plants, Keystone Flora, Native Roots, Natives in Harmony, Scioto Gardens, Shaker Trace, Tikkun Farm, Treeyo Permaculture and Wild Heart Gardens.

Interested in preordering a Pollinator Pocket Garden Kit of CGC-grown plants for pickup during the festival? Learn more and reserve your kit here!

Bloem Handcrafted Jewelry, By Cofi, the Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Parks, Fernald, Gorman Heritage Farm, Great Parks, Mill Creek Alliance, One Small Garden and Recyclabowls will be interspersed throughout the festival.

New Addition: Brassicas!

Did you know that here in Cincinnati, we can enjoy three seasons of veggie gardening? Don’t miss out on the fall garden harvest—pick up your cool-weather Brassicas alongside your native plants at the CGC booth! Brassicas include greens such as collards, kale, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. To learn more about them and how to grow them in your garden, check out our Botany Bistro on the Brassicaceae family, featuring our own Urban Agriculture Coordinator, Kymisha Montgomery.

Educational Sessions

10am: Monarchs and milkweed with Queen City Pollinator Project
10:45am: Native tree propagation and seed collection with Drew Asimus
11:30am: Moths and their native plant partners with Miami University
12:15pm: Acorn processing with Howie Zuefle
1pm: Tool sharpening demo with the CGC’s Jack Parlin

Live Music & Entertainment

We’re excited to feature several local Cincinnati-area musicians during the festival. Here’s the lineup:

10-11am: Matthew Wallenhorst
11am-1pm: The Interstate Commerce Commission Organ Quartet
1-2pm: Deej Goosey

We also have a new addition this year: MK Lebeaux! They’re a renowned clown and multi-disciplined circus performer from Columbus, Ohio, who specializes in silent, eccentric variety acts. They’ll be weaving their way through the festival from 11am-2pm, imparting a lasting impression of merriment and wonder.

Food & Drinks

From 9am-12pm, grab a beverage from the Mom ‘n ‘em coffee cart to sip while you shop. After you’ve picked out your plants, leave them with our free Plant Sitters service (located in the parking lot) and stay for lunch! Jenn’s Hot Tamale will be on hand, and you can enjoy a cold beverage in our beer garden.

Plant Sitters

We want you to be able to attend an educational session, grab a bite to eat or enjoy the grounds unencumbered! You can drop your purchases off at our Plant Sitters, located in the Green Learning Station parking lot, then pick them up on your way home.

Location & Parking

The Fall Native Plant Festival will take place at the Civic Garden Center: 2715 Reading Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45206.

Parking will NOT be available on our grounds or in our Green Learning Station parking lot due to festival events. Thanks to the generosity of Children’s Hospital, we’re happy to offer parking options within easy walking distance to our grounds:

538 Oak Street—handicap accessible parking will be available in this lot (across the street from our grounds)
400 Oak Street
2806 Reading Road
624 Oak Street