Purdue Extension Service

Vanderburgh County, Indiana

Master Gardener Plant Sale

By Larry Caplan, Extension Horticulture Educator, Vanderburgh Co, IN

For the Evansville Courier and Press, April 26, 2009

This coming weekend (May 2 and 3), the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners Association will be holding their annual Plant Sale! For the second year, we will be out at the Vanderburgh 4H Center, with a new, improved layout to allow an easier time locating specific plants and faster checkout. The hours are Saturday, 8 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm. Look for us by the Show Barn.

The plant sale is the Master Gardener’s only major fundraiser for the year. The revenue generated funds over 20 demonstration gardens, including the Master Gardener Display Garden located on the old Evansville State Hospital grounds. It also provides the resources we need to work with other groups, such as Habitat for Humanity, Keep Evansville Beautiful, and the Wesselman Nature Society.

Visitors will be astounded at the selection of plants available, many of which were grown in members’ own gardens and greenhouses. Recognizing local interest in raising vegetables to stretch food dollars, we will have a large selection of vegetable transplants, including asparagus and rhubarb. We will have 40 different varieties of tomatoes, including some hard-to-get heirlooms.

Our collection of ornamental plants concentrates on those native to southern Indiana. We find that these plants do the best at surviving our wild range of weather patterns, and, once established, need the least amount of “babying.” We’ve also been fortunate to get some of the newest plants available to the gardening world. Some of the new introductions we are offering would be Echinacea 'Tomato Soup' and 'Mac & Cheese", along with Heucherella 'Ginger Ale'. 

Throughout Saturday morning, we will be offering a series of demonstrations and workshops in the front of the Show Barn. Arrangements have been made so that you can store your plants, attend the demonstration of your choice, and then go back to shopping. All of the speakers are Master Gardeners (or myself). These demonstrations are free, even if you don’t do any shopping! The schedule of programs includes:

9:00: Native Plants – Kate Lynch
9:30: Trees after the Storm – Larry Caplan
10:00: Medicinal Herbs – Jason White
10:30: Gardens to Go – David Hames
11:00: Tomatoes 101 – Ernie Hicks
11:30: Container Gardening With Sedum and Other Succulents – Carol Peerman
12:00: Weather Lore and Gardening – Larry Caplan

For more information on Master Gardeners or the Plant Sale, please contact the Purdue Extension Service in Vanderburgh County at (812) 435-5287.

PS: Mark your calendars! The Master Gardener’s biennial Garden Walk will be held June 13 and 14. Tickets are available at area Schnucks Markets, the Extension office, or from individual Master Gardeners.