There are a lot of good reasons to shop Greensburg Garden Center’s annual Christmas greens and decor sale.
Offering everything from trees, wreaths and roping to kissing balls, table arrangements and hanging baskets, along with other handcrafted decorative items, it’s one-stop shopping, said center president Carla Rusnica.
It’s also one-of-a-kind shopping.
“We’re all custom-made” by center volunteers, Rusnica said. “That’s why people come to us — they want something that no one else has.”
And, she added, the prices are reasonable.
Sale hours will be 3-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road.
Artificial decorated trees stand from 1 to 4 feet tall and sell for $15 to $65. Wreaths are $30 to $50, and other wall hangings start at $15.
Kissing balls and baskets are $22 each.
Fresh items include a mix of cedar, pine, boxwood, willow, arborvitae, juniper, holly and other evergreens.
“The greens are donated from our own yards,” said treasurer Elizabeth Pesci, noting that she contributed pine boughs from a tree cut down in her yard.
Members also trim neighbors’ trees and shrubs and the hemlock tree outside of the center, she said.
Pesci also has started a few dishes of amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs that should bloom around Christmastime. In the spring, she noted, the bulbs can be planted outside to bloom again during the summer.
Center members have a talent for crafting beautiful decorations out of materials that have been gathered over the years from various sources, including yard and estate sales, donations and their own homes, Rusnica said.
“This year, we’re re-purposing some of our antiquated flower show materials,” she said.
A limited number of wooden frames that held slim glass vases for displaying flowers will be filled with sprigs of pine and hollywood berries, for a minimalist look.
“These will be nice for someone who has an artificial tree but still wants something that gives off the scent of an old-fashioned Christmas,” Rusnica said.
Volunteers start crafting decorative items for the sale in October, Pesci said. Items containing fresh greens are assembled a few days beforehand.
Orders also will be taken through 3 p.m. Thursday for custom-made wreaths and baskets. For information, call 724-837-0245 or visit greensburggardencenter.net.
Sale space has been expanded this year to better accommodate social distancing, Rusnica said. Masks will be required for all attendees.
Proceeds benefit garden center operations and programs, along with an annual $1,500 scholarship for a college student from Westmoreland or an adjacent county with a horticulture-related major.
