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Master Gardeners to host outdoor Fall Plant Sale and Country Store
October 15, 2021
by Linda Lees/Victoria County Master Gardener
Edited by Suzanne LaBrecque/Victoria County Master Gardener
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER LINDA LEES
In the photo illustrated above, numerous decorative pumpkins arranged with small succulents are being created for the VCMGA Plant Sale and Country Store. They are long lasting and perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving arrangements.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER LINDA LEES
VCMGA President, Barbara David, holds a decorated miniature pumpkin featuring succulents. The arrangement will be sold at the VCMGA Plant Sale and County Store.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER LINDA LEES
A close up of a Tua-Tua, or Jatropha gossypiifolia, reveals beautifully-shaped seed pods and purple foliage. This plant is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean islands. It is also known as the Bellyache Bush. The plant, which will be featured at the plant slae, can grow up to 6 feet high.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M 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 VictoriaAdvocate.com.
It is time to bid goodbye to a hot, humid summer and welcome the more pleasant days of October. It is also time to dust off those shopping shoes because Victoria County Master Gardener Association (VCMGA) has something special planned for bargain-seekers.
For the first time, there will be an outdoor VCMGA Fall Plant Sale and Country Store at Victoria Educational Gardens (VEG). Volunteers have planned a morning of fun browsing when they open the front gate of VEG to visitors Oct. 23.
Outdoor event showcases VEG
Due to COVID-19, VCMGA restricted fundraising to plant sales, which have been held online. Wanting to showcase the gardens while also providing a safe environment, members have decided to move outside. The event will be held rain or shine as scheduled. Checks, credit cards and cash will be accepted. VCMGA aims to offer reasonable pricing.
Needless to say, there’s been a lot of activity in preparing for this sale, which was created soon after VCMGA decided not to hold the Anything Grows Extravaganza, a larger gardening event. That event has been put on hold until next year.
The fall sale will begin at 8 a.m. and close at noon. VEG is located at Victoria County Regional Airport, 333 Bachelor Drive, across from the control tower. There will be ample parking and easy access to VEG. Bottled water will be furnished at the VEG vegetable garden gazebo.
Hundreds of plants await
The public will enter through the front gate and will be greeted by volunteers and the sight of hundreds of plants grown by Master Gardeners in the VEG greenhouse and at their homes. That much is for sure. It is impossible to give details on what all will be available since not even the Master Gardeners will know until they begin assembling the donated items and plants. This event should prove to be a grand surprise for everyone.
Plants will be placed along pathways in various canopied sections of VEG. Potted fairy gardens, popular with all ages, will be at both the plant sale and country store. You will find hanging baskets of ice plants, ferns and spider plants, plus a selection of perennials along with daylilies and bromeliads.
Volunteers will be on hand to help with purchases and to place them in a holding area in the VEG pavilion should a buyer wish to continue shopping and skip on over to the county store. Checkout will be in the pavilion and buyers will exit through the pavilion front door.
See what’s at the country store
The country store will be located at the covered patio area. Garden-related items such as hummingbird feeders and handmade crafts will be featured. Master Gardeners have joined together in workshops to make decorative pumpkin planters with succulents, macramé hanging plant holders, garden-inspired jewelry and refurbished, painted pots. There will be seasonal merchandise with the holidays in mind. Among the items will be two never-out-of-the-box, pop-up Christmas trees.
Last copies of cookbook
The VCMGA cookbook, which makes a great Christmas gift for collectors and cooks alike, will be for sale for $25. VCMGA favorite recipes will be displayed along with gardening books. The cookbook was published in 2010 and reprinted 10 years later. Recipes come from Master Gardeners and their family members. Since there are no plans to reprint this 300-page book again, in all likelihood, once it is sold out, it will be gone forever.
Catch us at the front gate
“Why hold a fall plant sale?” many ask. South Texas gardeners know fall is just as good a time for gardening as spring. So, come see us at the gardens. We’ll be waiting at the front gate.
ph: 361-935-1556
nancyk