Inside Dirt...Inside Dirt April 2018 Whether it is your first time or you have attended the event for several years, we believe that you will find these tips useful and allow you to

Inside Dirt

Henderson County Master Gardeners

Association (HCMGA) Newsletter

Inside this issue

Plant sale special edition ............. .1

Plant sale flyer……………….….……...2

Planning for the sale ................... .3

Growing the plants...................... .4

Week of the sale………….…….….……5

A customer’s perspective…….….….6

Use of plant sale proceeds…...…….7

Insider tips for the plant sale……...8

Plants expected for the sale….…...9

Arts & Crafts Corner…………….…...10

Feeding you plants…………...……….11

Library Series…………………..………...12

About HCMG……………………..….…..12

Plant Sale Special Edition

Martha Rainwater, Master Gardener & Co-

Chairman of Plant Sale

Welcome to our Inside Dirt special edition! This edition focuses on our upcoming Plant Sale (April 28). This is one of our primary fundraisers and our committee is busy planning the event. The HCMG team is also planting and propa-gating hundreds of seeds and plants for the plant sale. My other Co-Chairs for the event are Elaine Dorsey and David Bick-erstaff. You will understand the planning necessary for this event after reading this special edition of the newsletter. You will find information in this edition about the planning and exe-cution of the Plant Sale as well as tips to enjoy your experience. We also provide information on the use of the Plant Sale proceeds. Why purchase plants from our Plant Sale?

The plants are grown with love by our Master Garden-ers

The proceeds are used to educate and benefit Hender-son County residents

Master Gardeners are available at the sale to answer your gardening questions

You are helping the local community Get to know some interesting people It’s fun!

Enjoy reading this special edition and we look forward to visiting with you at the Plant Sale!

Volume 17, Issue 3 April 2018

2

Plant Sale Flyer

Inside Dirt April 2018

David Bickerstaff, Master Gardener & Co-Chairman of Plant Sale

As an intern in the HCMGA last year, I did not understand the level of plan-ning necessary for the plant sale. Activities related to the plant sale occur throughout the year with propagation, seed planting, confirming the plant sale site, etc. The plant sale committee was formed and the first meeting was held in early January. One thing about the HCMGA group– volunteers are always ready to help with a project. Approxi-mately twenty Master Gardeners attended the first planning meeting. We identified and as-signed owners for the following areas:

Site location and coordination Set up– tear down Cashiers Plant inventory arrangement Plant identification and labeling Pre and post plant sale inventory Advertising/Media Ticket writers Information desk Plant pricing Volunteers to answer plant questions Greenhouse coordination Carts and bags for customers One of a kind table Arts & Crafts area

At first site it appears overwhelming, but the HCMGA has been conducting this event for many years. Our fo-cus each year is to keep improving the event for our customers and increase the inventory size and variety. The committee meets every few weeks until the day of the sale to ensure a successful event. We hold the event at the Senior Citizens Center in Athens for several reasons:

It’s indoors (we can’t trust the spring weather!) The space is large enough for the event The location is affordable Plenty of parking Handicap accessible

3

Planning for the Sale


Elaine Bulgar-Brown, Master Gardener

When we begin to grow plants for our annual plant sale, we take into consideration a number of things to ensure that we have a successful event. Some of these include:

Requests we receive from folks about what kind of plants they would like to have available

b Promoting Native Plants which we know will do well in East Texas Providing a variety of plants which are known for their hardiness and fewer require-

ments of fertilizer, water, maintenance, etc. The process begins with seeding a variety of plants in small pots that we will winter over in our homes, gardens, greenhouses and also at the TVCC greenhouse. There are many things to consider when this phase begins. Our process includes the following:

First, we select seeds from previous harvest of plants that are proven winners Next, we make sure the pots we use are washed clean and free of any growing medi-

um. This is important because we don’t want bugs or any pests or weeds to grow with our new seedlings

New pots are purchased if needed Once the seedlings outgrow their starter pots, we then transplant them into larger

pots so that they can continue to flourish and bloom in time for the plant sale. Each pot is labeled with information including:

Common name of the plant Scientific name of the plant Other information about the plant including the size, spread, color, bloom time Requirements for maintaining the plant including sun, water and soil needs.

Our hope is that most, if not all of our flowering plants will be in bloom at the time of sale. Any instance where this is not the case, there are many of us HCMG on hand at the plant sale to give details and useful information about the plants.

4

Growing the Plants


After months of planning, we reach the week of the Plant Sale. The months of planning and planting are over and it is time to sell our plants! Day before the Sale The HCMGA volunteers are busy with several activities including:

Setting up the site Delivering plants to the site Tagging and pricing the plants Putting up signage Training the volunteers Preparing a pre-sale inventory

Day of the Sale The volunteers arrive early and man their stations! We open at 9:00am sharp and guide the customers when they arrive, provide carts, answer questions and assist them in loading their plants when they leave the sale. After the sale we complete a post-sale inventory, clean the building and get ready for a much needed rest because soon it will be time to begin planning next year’s Plant Sale! The plant sale will be held at the Henderson County Senior Citizens Center 3344 State Highway 31 E in Athens The center is located next to the Henderson County Regional Fair Park Complex.

5

Week of the Sale


Senior Citizens Center

3344 Highway 31 E

Athens, TX

HWY 31 E

Loop 7

Fair Complex

Lydia Holley, Master Gardener

Nelson and Carol Christopher have shopped the Henderson County Master Gardener Association (HCMGA) Plant Sale for the past three years. They come because they “love to look for new plants to grow.” They are anxious to see what this year’s HCMGA Plant Sale will offer. Nelson grew up gardening, coming from a family who lived on a farm and “always grew a large garden.” The size of his garden has changed through the years, but one thing has re-mained the same - he has always grown a vegetable garden. Although the garden he grows now is substantially smaller than the large one he worked growing up, he appreciates the nu-merous vegetables and herbs offered at the HCMGA Plant Sale. Carol began gardening with a “few flowerbeds” and enjoys having “hanging baskets for the porch.” Carol especially appreciates the perennials in her garden that return from year to year. Some of her favorite easy-care plants are “lantana, elephant ears, roses, fire bush, fringe plant, Mexican petunias and banana trees.” Through the years, the Christopher’s have purchased a variety of plants from the HCMGA Plant Sale: vegetables, annuals, perennials and shrubs. They “enjoy the variety of sizes and the good prices” they find there. They also come looking for a solution to their landscaping needs. For instance, their landscape includes a fish pond. Last year they needed some plants to cover a portion of land by the pond. For this small hill, they purchased “trailing lantana and dwarf petunias.” They are very pleased with these purchases. “In summer and fall they cover the space with their purple blossoms. We love it!” Carol has been very impressed with the knowledge of the Master Gardeners at the HCMGA Plant Sale. “The people working the sales have been helpful and made us feel welcome. If you have a friend that wants to try gardening, take them and show them how they can do this, too. Tell them not to be afraid to ask questions because someone will be willing to help.” You can bet that Nelson and Carol will be at this year’s HCMGA Plant Sale. “Every time we go, we have a great time!”, says Carol emphatically. The Hender-son County Master Gardener Association hopes YOU will come to the Plant Sale, too. Just say, “Nelson and Carol sent us!”

6

A Customer’s Perspective


Kathi Murphy-Boley, Master Gardener & HCMGA Treasurer

The HCMGA holds two major fund raisers each year. The Plant Sale and the Fall Conference. The proceeds from these fund raising events helps our as-sociation achieve our mission which is as follows: The Master Gardener program is a volunteer development program offered by Texas AgriLife Extension Service by disseminating horticultural information to individuals and groups in Henderson County and to develop and continue community projects related to horticulture. We are a group of volunteers who share a love of gardening and are eager to learn and share their knowledge. Our 2018 Budget Plan includes the following community projects:

DREAM Garden—we maintain a garden located at East Texas Arboretum Children’s Garden—we educate elementary school children in Henderson Count

about gardening Summer Series— Workshops are provided in an effort to share our expertise and

educate the public Library Series—Educational presentations are hosted by out group each month at

the Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library Greenhouse— We maintain a greenhouse on the campus of Trinity Valley Communi-

ty College Educational booth at “Keep Athens Beautiful” - We answer gardening questions and

promote our organization Speakers Bureau—We provide experts to speak at various events and meetings Other community outreach programs Educate and train new Master Gardener Interns

Without your participation in the Plant Sale, we could not share our knowledge of horticulture and provide our projects free to the public.

7

Use of the Plant Sale Proceeds


Whether it is your first time or you have attended the event for several years, we believe that you will find these tips useful and allow you to have a more enjoyable experience:

Walk your garden prior to the sale and identi-fy your needs and a wish list

Be there early—the Plant Sale doors open at

9:00am sharp and the plants go fast! Bring your own cart or wagon. While we will

have an inventory of carts for our customers, they can be spoken for quickly. You don’t want to be waiting in line for a cart while oth-ers are shopping!

Bring a friend— Its more fun to shop with a buddy and this is one of our major fund

raisers. We would like to have as many people attend as possible. Determine a strategy—The tables will be well labeled (trees, shrubs, native plants, etc.)

so make a plan once you enter the building and focus first in the areas of need. Ask a Master Gardener– The Master Gardeners will be in green T-shirts and are availa-

ble to answer all of your gardening questions. We will have individuals focused at differ-ent stations (i.e. annuals).

Get a ticket prepared of your plants before you go to the cashiers. Volunteers will be

available to provide you with a ticket of the plants and other treasures that you will purchase. You must have a ticket before you pay at the cashier station.

Bring your patience! Like any other sale, it may get congested when shopping or check-

ing out. Provide us with your comments. What did you like– what you would like to see in next

year’s sale Have fun! This is just not just a plant sale...it’s an event!

8

Insider Tips for the Plant Sale


We are expecting a wide variety of trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, annuals, natives,

heirlooms, Texas Superstar® plants and vegetables.

A few examples of what we are planning to have on hand at the sale:

• Mexican Shrimp Plant

• Oakleaf Hydrangeas

• Herbs

• Verbena

• Oxeye daisy

• Geranium

• Bougainvillea

• Turks cap

• Ferns

• Plus much more!

Each grouping of plants will include a picture of the plant in bloom (if applicable), re-

quirements (sun/shade, etc.) and other helpful planting and care tips.

9

Plants Expected at the Sale


A new addition to this year’s sale is an “arts & crafts corner”. We will have colorful clay pots, bird houses, bat houses and more for sale. These items have been made with love by our Master Gardeners.

10

Arts & Crafts Corner


You have purchased some beautiful plants at the Plant Sale– now what? Be sure and read the label and remember the tips you may have received from a Master Gar-dener during the event. Here are some tips for feeding your plants:

All plants need 16 nutrients, the big three are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassi-um

When listed for fertilizer and plant food, they are posted as a percentage of WEIGHT– example: a 5 lb. bag of food lists 3% Nitrogen; therefore, the bag con-tains 5 x .03 lbs. of nitrogen or .15 lbs.

All plants need preparation, nutrient addition, and additional nutrients during the growth period in order to reach its potential

Plants want nutrients from any source, the choice of organic or manufactured in your choice

A fertilizer contains only the elements listed, but they are guaranteed

Organic nutrients contain organic matter, which is important to the soil, and usu-ally adequate micronutrients but the amounts are not guaranteed

Check each type of plant as to their individual requirements

Get a soil test to find out your current soil nutrients. http://soiltesting.tamu.edu Contact HCMGA for more information (see page 12 for contact information)

11

Feeding Your Plants


http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/

Library Series Henderson County Master Gardeners

The Master Gardener program

is a volunteer development

program offered by Texas

AgriLife Extension Service by

disseminating horticultural

information to individuals and

groups in Henderson County

and to develop and continue

community projects related to

horticulture. We are a group of

volunteers who share a love of

gardening and are eager to

learn and share their

knowledge.

Henderson County Master Gardeners

Contact: Sharla Paris

Henderson County Extension Office

Office: (903) 675-6130

Fax: (903) 677-7222

Courthouse 3rd Floor, RM 300

100 E Tyler St

Athens, Texas 75751-2547

[email protected]

2018 Officers:

President Yvonne Sparks

VP Program & Admin Jeanne Brown

VP Member & Com. Edu Lora Tomlinson

Secretary Linda Belssner

Treasurer Kathi Murphy-Boley

Historian Sara Drummond

Advisor Spencer Perkins

Newsletter Editor David Bickerstaff

The members of Texas A&M AgriLife will provide equal opportunities in programs and activities, education, and

employment to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic infor-

mation, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity and will strive to achieve full and equal employ-

ment opportunity throughout Texas A&M AgriLife.

HCmastergardener

Henderson-co-tx-mg.org

[email protected]

Texas master gardeners

12


“Square Foot Gardening”

April 17th—As part of the Hender-

son County “Learn at the Library” Se-ries, Master Gardener Intern Susan Skommesa will present “Square Foot Gardening”. Ms. Skommesa, who re-cently moved here from Southern Cal-ifornia, has a very informative presen-tation and tips on small area garden-ing. You definitely don’t want to miss this!

This presentation will be held on April 17 at 5:30 pm at the Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library, 121 S. Prairieville, Athens.

Henderson County

Documents

Inside Dirt...Inside Dirt April 2018 Whether it is your first time or you have attended the event for several years, we believe that you will find these tips useful and allow you to