COULTERVILLE — If you love outdoor plants and can’t resist a good bargain, here’s great news: Mariposa County Master Gardeners (MCMG) are holding a plant sale on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Coulterville Firehouse demonstration garden, and it’s just in time for fall.
According to the Master Gardeners, fall is the ideal time to introduce California natives and other new plants into your garden.
The plant sale is very popular. Based on previous years, organizers say it’s a good idea to get there early for the best selection.
Plants are priced well below commercial nursery prices, and all proceeds from the sale go right back into the MCMG coffers to pay for workshops, publications and materials used to educate the public.
The sale includes ornamentals, grasses, trees and lots of California foothill natives. All the plants for the sale are donated by MCMG members who have raised, propagated or “otherwise managed to come up with them,” according to Elizabeth Gabriel, speaking on behalf of the organization. She has been cultivating and caring for foster plants for the sale.
“The sale will have many varieties to choose from. We have some beautiful, hardy plants and fall is the time for planting natives. We have quite a number of those,” Gilbert assures the green-thumb crowd.
“Natives are accustomed to surviving with our climate and rainfall,” says Gabriel. “They will grow and be happy with little or no water. Natives may need water for the first year or two to become established and after that, they can usually live on rainfall alone.”
Trees that have been propagated by the gardeners include pines, catalpa, giant sequoias and everybody’s favorite, avocado.
Ornamentals range from Shasta daisies to penstemon, geranium and orchids. Decorative grasses and herbs are on the list, as are cactus and succulents.
For a select few buyers, according to Gabriel, this is a chance to pick up some of the Coulterville heritage roses, including the Rosa Sweginzowii, a vigorous, spreading selection that sets spectacular rose hips in the winter. The selection of these special roses will be quite small.
Most plants come in plain “nursery” pots, but there will be a few in pretty, embellished pots.
The Master Gardener program is under the umbrella of the University of California Cooperative Extension. Master Gardeners go through a course of study and their job is to help home gardeners with their problems and questions using University of California research. Master Gardeners will have handout material and reference books to help all who attend the sale.
For more information, call the central Master Gardener office at (209) 966-2417.
Or call the North County hotline, (209) 852-9711 (hotline hours are Tuesdays 1 to 3 p.m.).
