![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
MASTER GARDENERS WILL HOST FALL PLANT SALE AT PAVILION September 02, 2010 by Brynn Lee, Victoria County Master Gardener edited by Charla Borchers Leon, Victoria County Master Gardener ~ CLICK FOR FLYER ~ |
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||
Gardeners' Dirt VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
PHOTOS BY LUPE COOK/VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER Master Gardener Greenhouse Committee members, from left, Dick Nolen and Tommy Akins worked to propagate plants throughout late spring and summer in preparation for the fall plant sale. More than 2,000 plants and 150 varieties will be available for sale on Saturday, Sept. 11. Many of them have been grown by Master Gardeners in the VEG greenhouse or in their own gardens. |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
PHOTO BY BRYNN LEE/VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER Master Gardener Edna LaFour, center, provided instructions at the spring plant sale, which was attended by more than 500 buyers at the VEG pavilion. You are encouraged to arrive early for best selections at the upcoming fall sale. |
||||||||||||||||||
Can you believe it's already time for the Victoria County Master Gardener Association fall plant sale? It's coming up Sept. 11, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until sold out, whichever comes first.
The sale will take place at the Master Gardener pavilion, next to Victoria Educational Gardens, located at the back side of Victoria County Airport, 283 Bachelor Drive. Parking will be available in the front and rear of the building with only one entrance into the pavilion on the east side through and from the garden. There will be two exits for a faster check out, one at the front and one at the rear of the building on Ordinance Avenue. MASTER GARDENERS PROVIDING MOST PLANTS The Master Gardeners have been hard at work to make this year's plant sale bigger and better. Our greenhouse workers have propagated more than 1,000 plants, to include a lot of succulents and herbs for fall gardens. We will also have a large selection of different shrubs, trees, annuals and perennial-blooming plants for you to choose from, some that were grown by our own Master Gardeners. We have added seasonal plants to enhance your landscape and holiday decor, such as crotons, assorted colors of mums, Christmas cacti and small Norfolk pine trees. This is not just any ol' plant sale; this is an educational plant sale with printed information for all plants sold that includes the name, instructions for planting and care of the plant. This year, we are partnering with four local nurseries - Devereux Gardens, Majestic Irrigation and Landscaping Service, Mid-Coast Floral and Nature's Best - to offer the best plants for this area. These nurseries are highly-reputable growers and have given us their professional opinions and suggestions for the Master Gardeners to have another successful sale. MASTER GARDENERS PRESENT TO HELP With 150 active members, there will be Master Gardeners available, visible by name tags, to assist and provide you with suggestions and ideas to help make your garden be all about you. Please feel free to bring your questions or concerns to the sale, and we will try to assist in the best way possible. We have learned much about which plants are adaptable to Victoria and neighboring county conditions, keeping in mind that last year's harsh drought, followed by an extremely cold winter was a learning experience for us all. MASTER GARDENER TRADITION This is the 11th consecutive year for the plant sale. The first sale was held in 1999 in a hallway at the Victoria Mall with only a couple of hundred plants for sale, all grown by Master Gardeners at their homes or donated by them from reputable sources. Over the next several years, the sales continued to grow, requiring more display space. So the sale was moved to the airport grounds and held under tents in an open field next to the gardens. With the winds not always cooperating and wreaking havoc on the tents, and temperatures not always in the mild zone, the next move was inside the Victoria County 4-H Activity Center, first in the educational meeting room and then to the shooting range. This spring's sale was held in our newly-constructed, 6,000-square-foot building, known as the Victoria Educational Gardens Pavilion. The spring sale had more than 1,000 plants, trees and shrubs to choose from for the approximately 500 garden enthusiasts who visited from Victoria and surrounding counties. The VEG Pavilion was built with donations from private and group donors, from Master Gardeners, as well as proceeds from previous plant sales and garden tours. Not only do the Master Gardeners use the pavilion for our own activities, but it is also available for weddings or family gatherings and events. You can contact the Victoria County Extension Office, 361-575-4581, for date availability and more information. LOOK, LEARN AND BUY In keeping with the "bigger and better" concept, there will be more than 2,000 plants and 150 different varieties available at this sale. Continuing to be an event the public looks forward to twice each year, word is spreading fast that this is the place to purchase new and unique plants. In addition to plant selections, we will offer seed balls made by Master Gardeners and three different informational books on gardening from Texas A&M University. Please bring cash or check for your purchases, no credit cards. There will be wagons and someone to help load your car. And why not allow a few extra minutes to tour around VEG adjacent to the pavilion? Admission is free, and you may get some ideas of what you want in your home garden. Remember, gardening is not just for the spring and summer months. There are trees, shrubs and plants for the fall, which will add color to your landscape and for indoor holiday décor. All proceeds from the plant sale will go toward helping the Victoria County Master Gardeners maintain VEG for your enjoyment and educate you, the public, on the best gardening tips that will make you a proud and happy home gardener. BE THE FIRST TO COME . . . AND TO KNOW Come to the sale early as selections slim down through the morning. There will be lots in store for fall gardening and even into the holiday season. And ... a little secret you might want to know ...VCMGA is going to print a cookbook with Master Gardener favorite recipes and gardening tips. Word has it that it will be available late November. Watch the Gardeners' Dirt column for sale venues, dates and information. And check out next week's column for information on plants that will be available at the plant sale Sept. 11. |
||||||||||||||||||
FALL PLANT SALE Saturday, Sept. 11 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. VEG Pavilion, Victoria County Airport, 283 Bachelor Drive Don't Miss it - rain or shine PLANT AVAILABILITY More than 2,000 plants More than 150 varieties Crotons and mums for fall color Small Norfolk pines for indoor decor Christmas cactus for the holidays MASTER GARDENER COOKBOOK Available November 2010 Watch for more information in "The Dirt" |
||||||||||||||||||
The Gardeners' Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas AgriLife Extension - Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com. |