In a moment of weakness, I promised Gloria Taliana and Bonnie Ginger I would write a plugger column to help draw attention to the plant sale that benefits the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library.

Even though I usually don’t do plugger columns, I said yes because I love the library. I want to support it. It is a good cause, and anyone who pretends to be a writer has got to help out institutions that encourage people to read.

Besides, it is impossible to say no to a request from a group of volunteers like Gloria, Bonnie and their crew of hardworking volunteers, Sue Mello, Liz Lussier and Anna Apollonio.

So here goes.

Ladies and gentlemen, don’t miss the semi-annual library plant sale on June 5 from 9 to 1. Do I have to mention, you will find it on the library lawn?

It is a chance for the gardener, semi-amateur gardener, new wanna-be gardener, and even Mr. fumble fingers like me to pick up quality plants lovingly raised by master gardeners. The price is right, the sale is convenient and it is a fun time.

So, do you need a day lily to stick in that corner of your garden that needs a little more pizzazz? How about some fresh herbs to spice up a salad or sauce? Hostas are always good, too. Even I can grow hostas. They love the shade.

We all can use some seedlings, shrubs, little veggies, and the rest of the goodies. Bonnie wanted me to mention that in past sales, people were “hot” for perennials.

“The last time we had the sale (before the pandemic), they were lined up before we opened. At 9 a.m., they charged through the ribbon to get to the plants,” she said.

Bonnie, who once worked as a pro librarian in Framingham, Massachusetts, often spends her evenings at the library inserting new books into the institution’s catalog. She said she works hard as a volunteer librarian because she loves the institution. And it gives her a chance to peek at new books before anyone else. “It is sort of like Christmas,” she said.

OK, I love libraries, too, but why do you work so hard on the plant sale?

“Why? I do it because I’m out of my mind,” she said with a laugh as she explained that, for the last several weeks, she, Sue and Liz have been hard at work out back culling their gardens. They are digging up their precious plants, dividing them and lovingly repotting them in hardy soil donated by Ames Supply, Lowe’s and Home Depot.

As a bonus, they even labeled them, or at least, most of them.

For weeks, Anna has worked at lining up 40 exceptional items for the silent auction to be held along with the plant sale. That done, she is ready to get back into her garden, too.

Soon, the list of auction items will be on the library website. Bonnie says volunteer Jim Herbold, who manages the auction, hopes to have the list up by May 26.

But Bonnie gave me a preview. Believe me, there is lots of stuff we would love to have at our house.

You can bid on garden supplies, along with garden books and even garden/landscape help from pros. After all that hard work, you could bid on a massage to help your back after spending a hot spring day in the garden. Then you might treat yourself and a friend if you win the bid for a gift certificate for lunch and dinner at one of my favorite spots.

And you could bid on several special items you will find nowhere else.

For instance, you can bid on a chance to meet Nat Wilson, who will give you a tour of his famous East Boothbay sail loft. The Bristol Marine Shipyard will give you a tour of their facility (formerly known as Sample’s Shipyard) and a chance to peek at the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey.

For the adventurous and those who still remember how to climb up the rigging, you can bid on a chance to shinny up the ropes at Wiscasset’s Monkey C Monkey Do.

And Gloria Taliana has agreed to part with a gorgeous print of a painting done by her late husband, Jim. It depicts the Bridge House on the Harbor’s footbridge. It is a perfect piece of art for your cottage, home, or as a gift to a special friend.

All you have to do is make a bid on the library’s silent auction.

Like the annoying pair of TV furniture peddlers say: “Don’t miss it.”