By Debbie Roland and
Emmy Ulmschneider
Master Gardeners
It’s that time again and April 15 is the day! The plants have been ordered and our fingers are crossed that they arrive healthy and beautiful and perfect for your yard.
Our job is to have plants for sale that will grow in West Texas, including natives and well-adapted plants. Our fingers are crossed because we really never know what will be coming until we throw open the back doors to the delivery trucks. So much affects the arrival of plants for the sale. In the past there have been freezes that wipe out plants in other areas that were on our order and sometimes the plants just aren’t available.
Included for this year are perennials, grasses, shrubs and vines. We are also hopeful for a supply of herbs. There will be boxes and wagons provided for your shopping; however, feel free to bring your own.
In addition to the rows of plants available, there will be four booths set up in Building D at the Ector County Coliseum. The “Ask a Master Gardener” booth will be back and staffed with Master Gardeners to answer your questions. There will also be a xeriscape booth and a pollinator booth where you can see plants that encourage insects to lay eggs, bring in pollinators and, of course, beautify your yard. Next there will be a compost booth with instructions on the hows and whys of composting and how it affects good gardening practices.
Good news about checkout at the sale. We will be adding more lines to get you and your plants home in a reasonable time. So come early, enjoy the time with fellow gardeners and get your questions answered at our information booths.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.
Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org. Click on “Resources.”
