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 12, 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 twice-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, you’ll be able to shop selections from plenty of other local and regional growers. We’ll also have vendors and partner organizations interspersed throughout the festival. Stay tuned for the lineup!

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

We’ll have educational sessions on a variety of short, free educational sessions throughout the day. Check back for the 2026 lineup!

Live Music & Entertainment

We’re excited to feature several local Cincinnati-area musicians during the festival. We’ll share the lineup once we’ve finalized it.

Food & Drinks

The day will include food trucks, beverage options and more. Stay tuned for updates.

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. We’ll share parking information closer to the day of the event.

Volunteering

We need lots of volunteer help to make the Fall Native Plant Festival a success. Register as a CGC volunteer and we’ll let you know when the shifts are up!