Growing Friends April Plant Sale

Growing Friends is having a COVID-safe plant sale on the morning of Tuesday 13 April. It will be held in the Growing Friends shadehouse, near the Banksia Centre carpark at the ANBG. 

The sale will be run as described below, in accordance with COVID health and hygiene arrangements which have been agreed with Gardens’ management and which comply with ACT Government regulations regarding use of the CBR Check-in QR code. 

Here is a description of the plants which we expect to have for sale.  

The sale will operate in the following way: 

• This will be a timed entry sale. If you want to attend the sale then you MUST pre-register. Approximately 4 days before the sale you will be given a 10 minute window during which you can attend the sale and choose your plants. Time slots will be allocated in the order in which registrations are received. 
• To register your interest in attending the sale please send your name, email address and telephone number to the Growing Friends’ secretary, Sue Waterworth (email suziew512@gmail.com). NOTE: Because the number of people in the facilities needs to be strictly controlled, if two people want to select plants together then BOTH need to register. 
• It is highly desirable that you peruse the attached plant description list and have a good idea of which plants you may want to buy. There will be a one way flow of people walking between the shadehouse benches, which are organised on 4 long benches: A-B, C-G, H-M, P-Z.  
• Please bring boxes or carry bags to put your plants in. For people wanting to purchase a large number of plants, small trolleys will be available to transport plants as far as the Banksia Centre car park.  
• Most plants are in 100mm diameter pots, but some more advanced plants are in 175mm diameter pots, ready for immediate planting. Buyers will be encouraged to choose larger pots first. 
• Members of Growing Friends will be near the Banksia Centre car park to direct you to the plants and then to collect your money when you have made your selection.  
• Plants will cost $6 for regular size pots and larger pots will be $10 each. Payment is to be by credit card only, NO CASH, CHEQUES or IOUs. 

• Hand sanitiser will be available at the entrance to the facilities and in the shadehouse. Participants will be required to sanitise their hands before and after the event, and at other times if necessary or desired.  

The following instructions and notes relate specifically to the COVID-safe arrangements applying to the sale: 

• A COVID-safe plan has been approved by the ANBG for this sale and is available on request. Please contact Maurice Hermann at Maurice.hermann@friendsanbg.org.au if you want a copy. 
• All people attending the sale will be required to adhere to 1.5m social distancing. 
• There will be a one-way flow of buyers through the Growing Friends’ facilities. The walkway from the Banksia Centre carpark to the facilities will be two-way, but as far as possible entry and exit of buyers will be managed so that there is little or no passing of buyers on this walkway. 
• An ANBG site Check-In CBR QR code is posted at the entry to the Gardens (near the bridge from the main car park to the Pollen Café). It is mandatory for all attendees to check in onsite with the Check-In CBR app/QR code before arriving at the sale. 
• All people entering the Growing Friends facilities must also use the CBR Check-in QR code for those facilities – this will be displayed at the sale check-in desk.  
• People who do not have the capability to use the CBR QR code should try to arrange to attend with someone who can include them as a guest using the app. Alternatively, they will have to follow relevant procedures that firstly, the ANBG has in place for people entering the ANBG site, and then secondly, that Growing Friends has for signing into its facilities. 
• Entry will be refused if an attendee refuses to check in. 
• Anyone registered to attend the sale must not attend if they: 
  • are feeling unwell, 
  • have returned from overseas or a cruise ship in the last 14 days, 
  • have been instructed to self isolate or quarantine by an Australian state or territory Health official, 
  • have been in a hot spot as determined by ACT Health in the last 14 days, or  
  • have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days. 

If COVID related restrictions mean that the sale cannot go ahead then the sale will be cancelled. All people registered to attend will be notified by email.  

We look forward to supplying you with plants ready for autumn planting. 

Maurice Hermann 
Convenor, Growing Friends