Vendors at Spring Garden Day—The Who’s, How’s, and Why’s
Ivy Sinaiko, with input from Becky Super, FROGS Vendor Committee
Although we are in the midst of winter, the Green Spring staff and FROGS board are already deep into the planning of Spring Garden Day, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026. One of the most important tasks is making sure we have enough tempting vendors for the event. This article describes our process for selecting vendors and answers some of the questions about vendors that our customers often raise.
We send “Save the Date” notices to past vendors as soon as the date for the next Spring Garden Day is finalized. We are also always looking for new and different vendors. We emphasize plant vendors over craft or other vendors. Craft vendors need to be directly related to gardening. The FROGS vendor committee tries hard to keep the vendor types even. If we have too many native plant or mushroom vendors, for example, it dilutes the sales for everyone.
Application materials are sent by January 1, with applications and application fees due by mid-February. The vendor fee is dictated by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), not FROGS or Green Spring. We send confirmations to accepted applicants in early March. This timing gives the staff time to work through the FCPA processes to advertise, create materials, etc.
For Garden Day 2025, we invited 28 professional growers, 12 plant societies, and 14 other vendors (pottery, knife sharpening, baskets). We sent invitations to 20 vendors who had not participated previously. Of these, two participated.
Our Garden Day customers often express disappointment when a vendor they have enjoyed in previous years does not participate in the current sale. Many factors contribute to these absences. Covid changed the sales process for several growers who had been long-time participants. They now host open houses at their nurseries, which means less work for them and is probably more profitable. Other long-time vendors have retired or closed their businesses in the last few years. Vendors have also cited not having enough staff to support participating in competing events on the same day. Customers may not realize that if small vendors have a disappointing day at the sale one year, for whatever reason—rain for example—they may feel it’s not worth their time to return.
Of course, we have no control over vendors canceling or not showing up. And unfortunately, there is always at least one vendor every year who does not pay the percentage-of-sale fee at the end of the day. These vendors are not invited back.
We have been very lucky to have had the wonderful vendors we have enjoyed in years past, and we look forward to continuing this tradition in May 2026.
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