Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In the Garden: Plant fair aims to educate, inspire

Master Gardener Carol Williams tends some of the plants that will be available at the Spokane County Master Gardeners Garden Fair & Plant Sale on Saturday. (Susan Mulvihill / The Spokesman-Review)

There are certain annual events that do a great job of nurturing, teaching and inspiring gardeners in their quest to grow an awesome garden. One such event takes place Saturday.

The Spokane County Master Gardeners will hold their Garden Fair & Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in and around the County Extension building, at 222 N. Havana St. There is a lot going on at this free event that you won’t want to miss.

“The Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County is hosting this event,” said president Tim Stiess. “This is our main fundraiser to support the Master Gardener program.”

They have been holding open houses and events like this each spring for the past 15 years, and the primary focus has always been education.

“My goal is to maintain that element in the Garden Fair & Plant Sale,” Stiess said. “Some booths are strictly for educational purposes and will be manned by Master Gardeners. But there will also be booths where folks can purchase vegetables and herbs, native plants and other plants to attract pollinators; each booth will offer the opportunity to learn about the plants available.

Plant sale manager Julie McElroy is excited about the many plants that will be available during this event.

“There will be about 2,000 perennials which came from Master Gardeners digging in their own gardens,” she said. “All of these plants have been nurtured through the fall, winter and early spring, and they’re now ready for the sale.”

Plants include hostas, ornamental grasses, Heucheras (coral bells), sedums, lamb’s ears and many different groundcovers. There will also be canna lilies, dahlia tubers, pussy willows and flowering vines such as clematis.

“The plant prices are so reasonable,” McElroy said. “Most are in the $5 range so if folks want to fill in areas of their yard, it will be very affordable. Plants will be labeled and Master Gardeners can provide planting information. We’ll even have volunteers available to help load purchases into people’s cars.”

The timing of the plant sale is perfect for picking up vegetable and herb plants. Vegetable starts include artichokes, cabbage, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos.

There will be culinary herbs (basil, chives, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, French tarragon and thyme) along with lavender, catnip, catmint, lemon balm and feverfew.

Sue Malm, who is overseeing the herb booth, has expanded it this year.

“We’ll have a special section of herbs suitable for fairy gardens with a display fairy garden to show how they can be used,” she said. “We’ll also have some pre-planted herb gardens, herb markers and gifts suitable for Mother’s Day.”

Items for the yard sale were donated by the Master Gardeners. The popular 3R’s booth (Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse) will be on hand once again.

Several vendors will be selling plants, hummingbird feeders, Mason bee houses, earthworms, garden art, berry plants and hanging baskets.

In addition to this being a fundraiser for the Master Gardener program, it’s also an opportunity for the public to see firsthand what the Master Gardeners do for the community. For example, they teach gardening classes and volunteer in their plant clinic Monday through Saturday, to help gardeners solve problems, identify pests or diseases, and select plants ideal for their landscape conditions.

Don’t forget that Mother’s Day is the day after this event. There will be plenty of shopping options to select that perfect gift.

Susan Mulvihill is co-author, with Pat Munts, of Northwest Gardener’s Handbook. Contact her at Susan@susansinthegarden.com and follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/susansinthegarden.