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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
Polk County Living Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 6, 2015 7A BIGGER AND BETTER Annual Mother’s Day plant sale triggers green thumbs everywhere By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer Jane Gragg and Darrell Ward inspect plants on Friday morning in preparation for the Master Gardeners annual plant sale, which will be Friday and Saturday at Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center in Rickreall. Vegetables, flowers and other plants will be available. EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Tables will be filled with both unusual and hard to find plants, as well as native selections at this weekend’s Master Gardeners plant sale. Gardener’s Paradise EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Darrell Ward tends to a wide variety of peppers and tomatoes at Mountain Fir Park’s Inspiration Garden on Friday. What: Oregon State University Extension Polk County Master Garden- ers Plant Sale. Where: Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center, 520 S. Pacific High- way (99W), Rickreall. When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Admission: Free. Of note: Parking will also be expanded, including additional handi- capped spaces close to the buildings, making access easier. This sale is popular. For the best selection, including hanging baskets, go early. For more information: Master Gardeners OSU/Polk County on Face- book. POLK COUNTY — Mother’s Day weekend is upon us, and that means the annual Polk County Master Gardener’s two-day plant sale on Friday and Saturday. With the warmer-than-usual spring, gardeners all over Polk County may have been tempted to plant those tomatoes early, but those of you who have had the pa- tience to wait will be rewarded with top picks from the sale. “We have a tremendous variety of tomatoes, more than 70,” said Darrell Ward, Master Gardener. “We’ve gone the next step of graft- ed tomatoes. In the past, we’ve purchased those from nurseries. This year, we wanted some vari- eties we thought would be better for our customers, so we’ve grafted our own.” These varieties are better be- cause they’ll grow better right here in Polk County, Ward said. A large selection of peppers, cu- cumbers, cabbages and squash — all grown by Polk County Mas- ters — will be available starting Fri- day. To accommodate all the plants on sale and the indoor vendor se- lection, the sale has expanded to two buildings at the Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center. The sale will be in Building C and in the Swine Barn this year, with everything under cover. “We won’t have vendors or demonstrations out in the rain- storms, we hope,” Ward said. Vendors will have a plethora of gardening supplies, from clothing to tools to decor, for all your gar- dening needs. The Country Store is expanded, also, Ward said. “We have had a tremendous amount of donations this year,” he said. “One of the things we re- ceived from an estate was framed oil paintings — originals — also framed prints. Those will be on display and for sale.” Along with the plants, Master Gardeners are scattered around the buildings, easily accessible to an- swer all your gardening questions. Unusual and hard-to-find plants are back this year, Ward said, with a selection from India and other countries. “We’ve also brought back the na- tive plants,” Ward noted. “We haven’t had that for a couple of years.” Live demonstrations will include soil blocks, raised beds, planting tomatoes and bonsai. Contact the Advertising Department at the Itemizer-Observer for more information. 503-623-2373 Visit online at www.polk.eagledirectories.com New to the area? Number change? Call us to update! Polk County Telephone Directory Eagle Directories 147 SE Court Street • Dallas • 503-623-2373 www.polkio.com/polk-directory/