The Southside Master Gardener Association (SSMGA) supports the Virginia Cooperative Extension and its mission to “enable people to improve their lives through an educational process that uses scientific knowledge focused on issues and needs”.
The annual Southside Master Gardener Association Plant Sale will be held on Saturday, May 6th from 7:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. in the parking lot in front of the Halifax County Extension Office, 171 S. Main Street, Halifax. All types of plants will be available including annuals, herbs, perennials, vegetables, shrubs and trees. The sale will offer some special features such as garden art, rain barrels and a bake sale. There will be educational exhibits and handouts as well.
The Master Gardeners have been busy making unique garden/yard art treasures that will make your garden shine. A very special item is the famous “Wine Chimes” made from repurposed wine bottles. Lots of colors and styles will be available this year. Puddlers will also be available. The puddler is filled with sand and salt and collects rain for the bees and butterflies to have a drink. There will also be painted milk cans and garden statuary made from used metal parts.
Hypertufa is the name of a process of making garden containers, ornaments, sculptures or stepping-stones using Portland cement, perlite and peat. The process was developed as a substitute for volcanic rock called Tufa that was traditionally used to make Alpine troughs. This
year, there will be draped and basket hypertufa. These are wonderful containers for your outdoor potted plants.
One of the miracles of gardening is growing plants from seeds. The beauty is that the end result isn’t always what we expected. For germination, seeds usually need warmth, moisture and sometimes light. There will be an educational display at the sale showing how to make your own simple germination box. The box is made from items readily available and provides those three main needs for proper germination.
Naturally, there will be lots and lots of plants. Everything from trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs, annuals, houseplants and vegetables will be available. These plants will be priced to sell. Plants that are grown locally usually do better than those that were grown further away. They have adapted to our soils and climates.
Master Gardeners are not only gardeners but can cook up some mean desserts. Stop by the Bake Sale table to purchase something to nibble on while walking through the sale. Master Gardeners will be available to answer your gardening questions throughout the sale. If you want more information or are interested in the Master Gardener program visit www.ssmga.org, like on Facebook, contact the Halifax Extension Office at 434-476-2147 or e-mail at ask@ssmga.org.
