Get plants, advice at garden fair

The Spokane County Master Gardener program is an important resource in our community. They staff a plant clinic from March through October, where they answer the public’s gardening questions. They also hold classes and set up information booths at local events.

All of this, and more, is done quietly and efficiently. But next weekend, they’ll be boisterously celebrating the new garden season and showing the public what they have to offer.

The annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 29 in and around the Spokane County Extension building, located at 222 N. Havana St. This event is sponsored by the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County as a fundraiser for the program.

“Those who attend this event will experience firsthand the wonderful, informed and community-minded people that are the Master Gardeners volunteers,” said foundation president Tim Stiess. “The garden fair is a great place to find plants for their home garden, talk about their gardens and celebrate spring.”

Anyone who has made a plant-shopping list will be excited to hear that thousands of plants will be available at the sale. Most have come from the gardens of Master Gardeners and friends of the program. The offerings include phlox, goldenrod, ornamental grasses, peonies, hostas, daylilies, sedum, astilbe, rudbeckia, bergenia, pulmonaria and roses.

“The plants are healthy, easy to grow, and will make beautiful additions to any garden and landscape,” plant sale chair Matt Velasco said.

In addition to the main plant sale, Master Gardeners will man booths offering plants and information on how to grow them.

The vegetable booth will have a wide variety of tomatoes and peppers for sale, with volunteers helping shoppers choose the cultivars that best suit their needs.

An impressive selection can be found at the herb booth, including basil, chives, cilantro, lavender, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary, scented geraniums and thyme. There will also be pre-planted herb gardens, salad gardens, wooden herb planters and herb-related items.

“The Master Gardeners staffing the booth love herbs and cannot imagine cooking without them, nor gardening without them,” herb chair Sue Malm related. “There is something magical about weeding flower beds and vegetable gardens and brushing up against inter-planted herbs and smelling that divine smell.”

The native plant booth will have a variety of plants suitable for growing in this region and knowledgeable volunteers to educate visitors on the importance of including native plants in their landscapes.

Attendees visiting the plant clinic can get their garden questions answered and explore the clinic’s many resources. The demonstration beehive is a popular feature there, and beekeepers will be on hand to answer questions about beekeeping.

Part of the event’s fundraiser includes the sale of $1 raffle tickets, with the grand prize being a $500 Apple store gift card.

The vendor marketplace features plants, hanging baskets, mason bee houses, worm composting, planting boxes, garden art and gift items.

To view this week’s “Everyone Can Grow A Garden” video, go to my YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/susansinthegarden.