Master Gardeners dig in to offer annual plant sale

About 20 Independence County Master Gardeners will be on hand to provide gardening advice at the group’s annual plant sale, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Arkansas National Guard Armory in Batesville.
About 20 Independence County Master Gardeners will be on hand to provide gardening advice at the group’s annual plant sale, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Arkansas National Guard Armory in Batesville.

BATESVILLE — Vegetables, annuals, perennials and advice on how to maintain their growth will be available at the Independence County Master Gardeners annual plant sale, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Arkansas National Guard Armory in Batesville.

The plant sale, which is the only fundraiser for the Independence County Master Gardeners, will include trees, flowers and bushes for indoor and outdoor use, said Cheryl Sibley, plant-sale chairwoman. The sale will also include many herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano.

“Not only do the Master Gardeners provide and support the public gardens, but part of our whole idea is to encourage people to garden,” said Susan Shawver, publicity chairwoman. “The idea is to get people to enjoy the benefits of home gardening.”

The Master Gardeners is an agricultural program under the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service that provides educational programs on horticulture and healthful living in each Arkansas county.

Sibley said last year’s plant sale drew about 250 people and had nearly 2,000 plants.

“We learned that our customers love good healthy, blooming plants, which we already knew,” she said.

The plant sale supports the Master Gardeners’ beautification projects in the Batesville area, including flower gardens at Pocket Park, the Oaklawn Cemetery, the Humane Society of Independence County and other locations.

“We also use our plant sale to fund education projects,” Sibley said. Master Gardeners help teachers maintain raised gardens, a process that, in turn, helps students learn more about gardening.

Most plants that will be available at the sale come straight from Master Gardeners’ own yards, but this year, the weather posed a few challenges.

“We dig them ahead of time so that the roots are healthy. We purchase some annuals from a wholesaler in Conway,” Sibley said. “It was kind of hard this year, but we started at the end of February, and we basically juggled days. It was hilarious — we would plant it, it would rain; we would plant another, and it would rain.”

Other than plants, locally made crafts will be available for sale.

“Every year, we have bird houses that are provided by a local craftsperson,” Shawver said. “This year, we are working on what are called fairy gardens. Those are miniature gardens, so it’s like a scene in a pot; everything is miniature.”

The sale’s children’s area will give kids the opportunity to plant a marigold seed and take it home with them. Sibley said introducing children to gardening can have a lasting influence.

“I think it’s important to teach them where their food comes from and to teach them to grow early,” Sibley said.

For those just looking for gardening advice, about 20 Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions.

“We have people who come up, and they say, ‘I have a shade area, and I don’t know what to do,’” Sibley said. “We will also provide them with information on what to do with this plant and what to expect from this plant.”

Sibley and Shawver encouraged customers to arrive early to the plant sale. Last year, 85 people were standing in line before the doors opened.

“That is just amazing to me, the support that we have,” Sibley said.

Butterfly bushes sell well at the event “because there’s a push on the monarch butterflies, that they’re dying,” Sibley said.

“The best selection is first thing,” Shawver said. “We always have a line at the door waiting to come in, and we clean out a bunch of plants the first hour, hour and a half.”

Sibley said that this year, she hopes to see between 250 and 300 people arrive for the sale. Any plant that is blooming typically sells quickly, she said.

“Every year, [the plants] get bigger, and they get better,” Shawver said.

Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.

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