Come Shop the Native Plant Sale on Saturday, May 9th! 
Pollinator Palooza & the Annual Native Plant Sale
- Online Plant Sale: April 24 - May 4
- In-Person Plant Sale: Saturday, May 9, from 8 AM to 2 PM (or until sold out) Inside Gage Park, on Zoo Parkway, in front of the zoo’s south entrance.
The Topeka Zoo will provide over 3,700 well-established native plants for sale, representing 45 varieties, to select from, for your own pollinator garden.
Plants are $5.00 each.
100% of the funds go to support the zoo’s many conservation efforts.
Why Pollinator Gardens Matter
Planting a pollinator garden at your home increases the habitat for pollinators and helps to ensure their survival as they continue to work for us by providing the food and other products we need, and maintaining the biodiversity our natural world needs.
Pollinators, some of which are the smallest and least considered animal groups on earth, make all the difference in the world for every part of our environment and for our own food supply as well, but also make it possible for us to produce beverages, fibers, spices, medicines, and more!
Over 75% of flowering plants are pollinated by animals, and every third bite of food you eat is directly related to pollination, so without the assistance of those small but mighty pollinators, most plants including our own food plants, could not continue to exist.
But pollinators are in decline, facing many challenges to their survival in the wild such as habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species, climate change, and parasites.
You can be the difference by planting for pollinators at your own home, yard, or garden.
Pollinator gardens select native plants that provide blooming flowers during the spring, summer, and fall months.
With pollinators and native flowering plants having evolved together, native flowers provide the best opportunity for a wide range of pollinators to find the nectar (food) they need for survival.
Native flowering plants also provide the best egg-laying plants for many pollinators, increasing reproduction of those species.
Dive deeper & Learn More:
Plant Sale Details
- Online Plant Sale: April 24 - May 4
- In-Person Plant Sale: Saturday, May 9, from 8 AM to 2 PM (or until sold out)
The 2026 Online Wildflower Sale opens at 3:00 PM on Friday, April 24, and closes at 12:00 PM (noon) on Monday, May 4.
If you do not place an order during the pre-sale, plants will be available for in-person purchase on Saturday, May 9, from 8:00 AM until sold out (no later than 2:00 PM).
PRICE
Plants are $5.00 each.
100% of the funds go to support the zoo’s many conservation efforts.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Online: Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover)
In person: Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) and cash
Pickup Information
Online pre-orders may be picked up at the South Admission Gate from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Friday, May 8, or in front of the South Parking Lot from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturday, May 9.
All orders must be picked up by 12:00 PM on Saturday, May 9.
Plant List
The current plant list for the 2026 Native Plant Sale includes approximately 50 varieties of native plants (46 flowering plants and 4 grasses), representing about 3,200 individual plants.
Please note that this list is tentative and subject to change. As we get closer to the delivery date, some plants may become unavailable and will be replaced with suitable alternatives based on nursery availability and growing conditions.
This list will be updated as they become available, and the final selection will be confirmed closer to the sale date.
Autumn onion
Allium stellatum
Bee balm
Monarda bradburiana
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Blazing star
Liatris pycnostachya
Blue pitcher sage
Salvia azurea
Blue-stem goldenrod
Solidago caesia
Blue vervain
Verbena hastata
Bush’s poppy mallow
Callirhoe bushii
Butterfly milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Common ironweed
Vernonia fasciculata
Common milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Compass plant
Silphium laciniatum
Cup plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Culver’s root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Elm leaf goldenrod
Solidago ulmifolia
False sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
Golden alexander
Zizia aurea
Great blue lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Gray-headed coneflower
Ratibida pinnata
Hairy beardtongue
Penstemon hirsutus
Heath aster
Symphyotrichum ericoides
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Jacob’s ladder
Polemonium reptans
Lavender hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Meadow evening primrose
Oenothera pilosella
Mountain mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Obedient plant
Physostegia virginiana
Pale purple coneflower
Echinacea pallida
Prairie coreopsis
Coreopsis palmata
Prairie milkweed
Asclepias sullivantii
Prairie phlox
Phlox pilosa
Prairie spiderwort
Tradescantia bracteata
Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Purple Joe-Pye weed
Eutrochium purpureum
Purple prairie clover
Dalea purpurea
Rough blazing star
Liatris aspera
Rose verbena
Glandularia canadensis
Royal catchfly
Silene regia
Showy milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Sky blue aster
Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
Slender mountain mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Willowleaf sunflower
Helianthus salicifolius
Wild quinine
Parthenium integrifolium
Yellow coneflower
Echinacea paradoxa
Yellow wild indigo
Baptisia sphaerocarpa
Plant Sale FAQs
Is there a limit to how many plants I can purchase?
Plant quantities may be limited based on availability. We encourage early ordering to ensure the best selection.
What should I bring when picking up my order?
Please bring a copy of your order confirmation, either printed or on your phone, to help us locate your plants quickly.
Are plants guaranteed to be available at the in-person sale?
In-person availability is limited and depends on remaining inventory after online pre-orders are fulfilled.
Can someone else pick up my order for me?
Yes. Please make sure the person picking up your order has your order confirmation or order name.
I can’t pick up my plants on the designated days. Can I still pick up my order?
If you are unable to pick up your plants during the scheduled pickup times, we can hold pre-paid orders for a limited time. Orders must be picked up no later than close of business on Friday, May 15.
Plants not picked up by that time will be repurposed, and no refunds will be issued. This policy helps ensure plant quality and fairness to all participants.
Do I need to pay to get into the zoo to get my plants?
No, the plant sale is outside of Zoo grounds, so you do not have to pay admission to participate in the plant sale.
What forms of payment do you accept?
For the online sale, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) are accepted. For the in-person sale, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) and cash are accepted.
If you have any questions, please contact the Education Department at help@topekazoo.org or 785-368-9180.
