Article and photos submitted by
Nita Stone and Lena Day,
Master Gardeners
Visit the Polk County Master Gardener (PCMG) plant sale on Saturday, April 27, at the Polk County Fairgrounds Educational Building. We have a big variety of plants for sale. The plant sale starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m.
Our master gardeners are on hand to answer your questions and help you find the perfect plant. We will be having a guest speaker informing us about bulbs and maintaining them. The presentation will run from 9-11 a.m.
There will be trees, herbs, shade plants, shrubs, house plants, bulbs or rhizomes, vegetables, succulents, flowering plants, and ground covers.
(See List at the end of the article)
There will also be beautiful hanging baskets created by members of PCMG.
A children’s section has been added this year. Children will be taught about hot to propagate and care for succulents. Each child will receive a small pot of Mother of Thousands to take home. The educational opportunity is free of charge.
The seed sharing program that began last year will continue. This is a free public service. If you have extra seeds to share, bring your seeds and take home seeds from other gardeners.
Thinking about fair entries
This is a great place to get your plants for the fair. A list of entry divisions for the fair will be available at the plant sale.
The Polk County Fair is Aug. 28-31. We are looking for entries. There are three age divisions: Adult 19 years and older, Junior ages 13-18, and Youth 12 years and under. Ribbons are given for first, second, and third places. Monetary prizes are given in the horticultural divisions by PCMG. Now is the time to start growing your entries.
Farm crops include corn, eggs, nuts, honey, and gourds. Other divisions include flower bouquets and arrangements, fresh cut flowers, potted plants, and vegetables. All entries will be on display during the fair.
There are many other areas to enter including arts and crafts, quilting, sewing, drawings, and photography in addition to horticulture. Now is the time to start preparing your items to enter. The fair catalog will be available in July.
PCMG meets the first Thursday of each month in the County Extension Office Education Building. Call the Extension Office at 479-394-6018 for more information, and to find out about the training required to join. Everyone is invited to attend a meeting and see what we are all about.
Followings are the plants we have gathered. We are expecting to have more plants coming before the sale on the 27th.
Trees
- Japanese Maple
- Maple, Silver
- Pine
- Cherry: Black; chock
- Crabapples, Sargent, a flowering tree
- Oaks
- Cherry Bark Oaks, Ark native
- Red buckeyes, a flowering tree
- Redbud, a flowering tree
- Maple, Silver
- Dogwood, a flowing tree
- Cedar
- Mulberries
- Sagamore, Ark native
- Washington Hawthorn, a flowering tree
- Holly, Paupon
Herbs
- Chocolate mint, perennials
- Regular mint, perennials
- Asian Leeks (it can be used as ornamental grass (perennials, cold tolerant, relatively drought tolerant, insect resistance, 12-18” tall, elegant leaf blades, and beautiful white flowering globe), vegetable (as cooked green, or spring salad green, a good source of fiber))
- Sage, OG
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Basil, sweet
- Ginger Root
- Lemon Balm, perennials
- Lemon grass
- Oregano
- Garlic
- Peppermint
Shade plants
- Solomon’s seal , perennials
- Ferns: Lady; Sensitive; Asparagus
- Oak leave hydrangeas
- Hosta: Sun & Substances; Empress Wu, & more
Shrubs
- Yellow rose of Texas
- Rose of Sharon
- Japanese Spirea
- Angel Trumpet
House Plants
- Basket plant, a species of roselings
- Spider plants: regular, variegated
- Arrowhead plant
- Pothos
Bulbs or Rhizomes
- Iris
- Champagne, bearded
- Pale blue-gray, pale lavender , bearded
- Unknown color
- White, rebloomimg, bearded
- Yellow flag, can be planted in ground or water
- Wild, dwarf crested
- Daffodils, color unknown, bulbs and plants
- Daylily: regular; small; hybrid
- Ferns: Lady; Sensitive
- Stella daisy, reblooming
- Monkey grass,
- Elephant Ears
Vegetables
- Cherry Tomato: Orange hat; plantation heirloom; regular cherry,
- Tomato: big daddy; OG Brandywine (ind.); OG Black Kris (ind.); OG heirloom Cherokee Purple (ind.)
- Cucumbers: OG heirloom Tokyo Green, OG China Jade, burples, Sumter
- OG Zucchini: Heirloom Fordhook
- OG squash: heirloom yellow crooked neck; Summer
- Vegetables companion plant: Marigolds
- Snap peas
Succulents
- Jade
- Aloe
- Sedum, varietties
- Pencil cactus
- Christmas cactus
- Mother of Thousands
Flowering Plants
- Begonias: white; pink
- Hyacinth Bean Red Leaved
- Marigolds
- Hellebores (Lanton Rose)
- Mum
- Geraniums
- Shasta Daisy
- Cosmos
- Flowering Dill
- Begonias: pink, white
- Sun Flower: Fire Catcher
- Calendula, heirloom
- Johnny Jump Up Helen Mount
- Achillea, (summer pastel yarrow)
- Snap dragon
Ground covers
- Swedish Ivy
- Vinca: periwinkle, variegated
- English Ivy
- Purple Heart
- Inchplant
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