Troup County Master Gardener Plant Sale LaGrange Georgia

The Master Gardeners of Troup County will host their annual plant sale on Saturday, April 24, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Agricultural Building in LaGrange. The Agricultural Building is located conveniently near I-85 at the intersection of U.S. Highway 27 and Vulcan Materials Road.

This year, the Plant Sale will include many, many unusual plants featuring drought tolerant and native species as well as vegetable plants and exotics. Also available this time will be some unusual non-plant items such as hypertufa planters, hand-decorated garden chairs, and many other garden-themed decorative items.

There will be a plant swap table as well, so visitors can take plants from their gardens to swap for plants they'd like to have.

Auctions will be held throughout the day beginning at 9:45 a.m, where you can bid on some of these unique garden items.

Master Gardeners will be on hand all day to answer your gardening questions.

Proceeds from this sale will benefit projects in the community including the purchase of horticulture books for the library, scholarships for horticulture students, and a Christmas tree for Hospice.

The Troup County Master Gardener Association is an extension of the University of Georgia School of Agriculture and the County Extension Agency. Master Gardeners all over the state work closely with local extension agents in providing service and education throughout their counties. Many Master Gardeners help teach children how to grow their own food while others participate in community beautification projects such as landscaping. Master Gardeners are available for home visits as well to help with your gardening problems.

For more information, contact the Troup County Extension Office at 706-883-1675.

Earth Day April 22, 2010

Earth Day is April 22. 2010 is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, so this year Earth Day should be celebrated in a special way.

The best way to celebrate Earth Day is to get your children outside to enjoy the great outdoors. It is important to teach our children the value of our precious environment and how to be good stewards and protect all our resources.

Here are some ideas:

• Go to your nearest public park and pick up litter. Okay, I know that's not fun. Perhaps you should do one of these other things first, and then pick up litter before you leave.
• Take a hike. Look for wild flowers (don't pick them though!) and signs of wildlife--birds nests and squirrels nests are sometimes easy to spot.
• Plant a garden in your own backyard. Children will enjoy growing their own food and flowers. Tomatoes, peppers, and squash are easy to grow. Purchase plants just about anywhere this time of year. Then plant a row of zinnia seeds which will come up quickly and help to attract pollinators to your new vegetable bed.

Planting Vegetables

Carolina Jasmine:

Sunny yellow blooms on the Carolina Jasmine tell me spring is on its way!

Also known as Carolina Jessamine or Gelsemium sempervirens, this native vine is not invasive and can even be allowed to climb into trees with no harm to the tree.

Blooming late winter through early spring, Carolina Jasmine makes a great groundcover for preventing erosion.

This evergreen vine is not tasty to deer, making it a good choice for the native plant garden.

Although the blooms are not very fragrant, the flower show more than makes up for it.

Plant Sale Benefit for Food Bank of East Alabama

Just one area of plants for sale at the Plant Sale 2009

The Plant Sale Benefit for the Food Bank of East Alabama will be Sunday, April 18, 2010. All proceeds go directly to the Food Bank. The Food Bank of East Alabama has been providing groceries to needy families in the Opelika-Auburn area since 1993.

More than 300 different plant varieties will be available. You can pick from a large selection of annuals, bedding plants, herbs, perennials, shrubs, native plants, and even trees.

This is the 9th year these gardeners have held this particular sale. I was tickled to go last year for the first time. I must say I was caught off guard with the large number of varieties of plants and the prices. Both my children had to help me carry plants. They enjoyed helping me pick out new plants for our garden. Unfortunately I could only fit so many plants in the car and still be able to take my children home with me, so I finally had to leave. This year, I plan to go more prepared with a larger vehicle.

Plants I saw last time were healthy, well-cared for, and ready to go directly into the garden. The selection was so large that it was difficult to narrow down my purchases enough to fit in my small trunk.

In addition to the many lovely plants offered at more than reasonable prices, gardening experts will be available to answer any questions you might have.

If you can be in the Auburn, Alabama, area on April 18, 2010, you will not want to miss this plant sale. I know I can't wait! For more information and directions, go to Gardener's Plant Sale.