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I had the pleasure of chatting (via email) with Peggy Chapeskie of Birthright Victoria. I asked her for a little more about the history of the plant sales for Birthright here in Victoria, BC, in anticipation of their upcoming “Garden Babies for Birthright” sales events. Here’s what she sent me. – Katherina

Some Plant Sale History

Our first Garden Babies for Birthright Plant Sales* began in 1997 as a fund raiser for the pregnancy support work of Birthright Victoria. Back then, we set up the first sale in a parking lot, dug into our gardens
for volunteer plants, and sold to passersby. We’ve moved inside since that first year, and then out again with COVID and location changes. At present, our sales are a mix of inside and out, with portable coverings
to provide shelter from inclement weather.

Today, we run three Birthright Plant Sales: at Peggy’s greenhouse in Langford, at St. Patrick’s Church in Oak Bay, and at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Sidney. The Langford sale used to take place in early May, but as we’ve grown more tender veggies for our sales, we’ve shifted toward mid May. Dates for the other two sales have danced around over the years, but they generally take place toward the latter half of May.

Since that first Plant Sale, we’ve grown and expanded. Some years have had their challenges, such as scheduling snafus, cold, late springs, watering restrictions and, more recently, COVID. The COVID years were challenging for small charities like Birthright, but with the addition of digital listings and sales by order, our Birthright Plant Sales have flourished!

Plant Sales Going Forward

Today, we offer a mix of Plant sales by Order and physical sales. There’s a buzz of excitement to in–person sales that’s hard to duplicate. People tell us they look forward to them all year long. At the same time, our plant sale pages have made learning about and ordering plants easier than ever. If you’re interested in tomatoes or other veggies, we especially recommend you pre-order to get just the varieties you want.

For 2026, we are once again in the hall at our Oak Bay location, making set-up and sale day easier and more comfortable. Our Langford move is likely a permanent shift outside as our old location (Our Lady of the Rosary Parish) has been sold and the hall demolished. As a fringe benefit, we have access to a much larger selection of plants than we could haul to the old location! (We’re adding a trail of pop-up shelters to keep shoppers dry in case of bad weather.) Our Sidney sale remains outside. We look forward to welcoming you back to our Garden Babies for Birthright Plant Sales in 2026. And we hope to see many familiar faces!

*Our Garden Babies for Birthright Plant Sales raise valuable funds so that we may continue the pregnancy support service of Birthright Victoria. Offering friendship and support to women experiencing unplanned pregnancy…because we care.

Garden Babies for Birthright Plant Sales