Springtime events at the Newport Mansions will celebrate green and growing things, from flower gardens and decorative plants to magnificent trees and landscapes.

Green Animals Plant Sale

Looking for a Mother’s Day gift? How about some locally grown plants to enliven your home and garden? The annual Plant Sale at Green Animals Topiary Garden will offer a variety of flowers, vegetables, herbs and specialty plants on three successive mornings, Friday, May 9, through Sunday, May 11, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. each day.

Annuals, perennials, lilies, dahlia tubers, geranium standards, hanging flower baskets and more will be available while supplies last. Many are grown in the greenhouses of The Preservation Society of Newport County, which has owned and maintained Green Animals and the historic Brayton House on the 7-acre property since 1972.

Starting Saturday, May 10, Green Animals will be open daily for tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets or Preservation Society membership will be required for anyone wishing to tour Green Animals after each morning’s plant sale.

Green Animals is located at 380 Corys Lane in Portsmouth, R.I.

Other Programs

• Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m. – "Prepping Your Flower Beds" with Jeff Curtis, Director of Gardens & Landscapes for the Preservation Society. Learn tips and tricks to help you prepare your garden beds for a successful growing season. At The Breakers Greenhouse, off Bateman Avenue behind The Breakers Stable & Carriage House at 53 Coggeshall Ave., Newport. Tickets at www.newportmansions.org/events/prepping-your-flower-beds

• Thursday, May 8, 6 p.m. at Rosecliff – "Iconic Trees of Newport II," forum in collaboration with Bartlett Tree Experts, The Newport Tree Conservancy, the City of Newport, Salve Regina University and Aquidneck Land Trust. Free, registration required. In-person registration is full; virtual attendance is available. Register at www.newportmansions.org/events/iconic-trees-of-newport-ii

• Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m. – “Tree Walk at Marble House” with Jeff Curtis, Director of Gardens & Landscapes. A guided tour of the specimen trees on the Marble House grounds. Tickets at www.newportmansions.org/events/tree-walk-at-marble-house

• Saturday, May 17, 10:30 a.m. – Girl Scout Badge Day at Green Animals Topiary Garden, in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England. Daisies, Brownies, Juniors and Cadets will explore Green Animals and earn a badge by completing activities. Register at www.newportmansions.org/events/girl-scout-badge-day-at-green-animals

The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area's historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks – span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.

For more information, please visit www.NewportMansions.org.