HSC Master Gardeners Plant Sale slated for April 3

Hot Spring County Master Gardeners are making plans for their plant sale, Blooms and Bounty, scheduled to take place April 3 at the Hot Spring County Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. until noon.

The sale will feature a bountiful array of shrubs, perennials, herbs, vegetables, hanging baskets and bedding annuals grown by HSCMG members and their neighbors.

“There are some wonderful things about our sale,” according to sale co-chairwomen, Gail McClure and Pam Hall.

They explained that at the sale, prices are very low – a small fraction of retail.

“Low prices allow our customers to plant a family-feeding vegetable garden, fill an entire perennial border, do mass plantings of color, or fill an entire porch with blooming baskets,” they said.

Another great thing, noted by HSCMG President Ann Wright, is that the plants are adapted to local growing conditions.

The plants thinned from local gardens are those that thrived so well that they grew beyond their space. The plants grown in local greenhouses were selected specifically for their ability to survive in Hot Spring County.

According to Wright, member growers have researched the best varieties for the area, and are being guided by performance data from The UA Division of Agriculture as well as by the experience of professionals such as DeGray Lodge Horticulturist and Lifetime Master Gardener Randy Heard.

Wright added that the group has tried to be responsive to customer wishes by expanding shade, blooming shrubs, bedding annuals, and perennial ground cover offerings.

HSCMG Treasurer Mark Shipp added that proceeds from the sale are put back to work for Hot Spring County in the form of beautification and horticultural education projects.

Master Gardeners are proud that they were able to begin a college scholarship program for Hot Spring County students studying in plant science-related fields based on proceeds from 2020. One goal for future sales will be to expand that program.

Attendees are asked to please wear a mask and to bring a wagon or cart.

Sanitizer stations will be available.