When November’s epic rainfall caused 6 feet of flooding at Ferndale’s Hovander Homestead Park, Whatcom County Master Gardeners’ demonstration gardens and greenhouses at the site were in deep trouble.
Barbara King, the chair of this year’s Whatcom Master Gardener Plant Sale, said that despite the extensive damage, it could’ve been worse.
Everything at the park was coated in a film of silt, gravel paths were stripped bare, fences were washed away, signposts were demolished and the oversized tree stump chair for Paul Bunyan in the Children’s Story Garden was swept away by floodwaters, never to been seen again. But, King noted, the plants in the ground mostly survived, as did the greenhouses and storage sheds.
More good news: After two years of hosting online-only plant sales and running self-service tables at the demonstration gardens, COVID-19 restrictions have loosened enough the organization can host in-person plant sales, which will begin April 9 and continue with the return of the Mother’s Day weekend sale set for Saturday, May 7 at Hovander — the first day the public will be allowed back to the park.
King said she’s looking forward to once again interacting with people. Although the organization was able to quickly pivot to online sales in April 2020 thanks to a member who had experience using a retail sales program and others who stepped up to help market, pack orders and devise a drive-through pick-up plan, she missed the camaraderie.
“Our mission is educating our community by providing scientific, sustainable gardening information,” she said. “Even though we provide cultural information about our veggies on the plant sale page (coming soon) of our foundation website, it’s not the same as the give-and-take, question-and-answer involvement at the in-person sales.”
The “tomato team” is already hard at work growing 55 varieties totaling as many as 2,000 tomato starts this year, and people can pre-order them starting April 23 for May 7 pickup.
King estimates that at least 70 or 80 Master Gardeners will help make this year’s events a success. Even if they’re not on-site at the plant sales, volunteers work behind the scenes to dig and pot plants, raise plants, help with marketing, make signs, pack plants that have been ordered online, distribute fliers, set up the sales and haul plants to the sales, staff the sale tables and check out customers. It’s a lot of moving parts, she said, but the hard work pays off.
“Our yearly plant sales are our sole fundraiser,” King added. “We use the proceeds to support the WSU Whatcom Master Gardener program activities: Ask a Master Gardener tables at libraries, farmers markets, etc., the plant clinic at the extension office, our two demonstration gardens, free educational outreach (classes, workshops, etc.) scholarships, and much more. Some of these activities were necessarily reduced under COVID, but are coming back. In addition, we will be using some of the funds to remediate flood damage to our gardens.”
Plant Sale Particulars
Early Bloomer Plant Sale: From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10, Whatcom County Master Gardeners will host a sale of early-blooming perennials at the WTA Station/Ferndale Food Bank at 1671 Main St. Bring exact change, or be prepared to write a check. The event is being held off-site because Hovander Park is currently closed for flood recovery.
Online Plant Sale: From April 23-27, the Master Gardeners will open up online sales of tomato and vegetable starts, daylilies and bonsai. “We developed quite a following of online buyers during the pandemic and want to continue to serve them,” King said. Once you’ve made your purchase — I’d recommend doing as soon as the sale opens to ensure you can snag your favorite tomato starts — rest assured they’ll be in good hands until you pick them up on May 7.
Whatcom Master Gardener Plant Sale: The big event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 7 in Ferndale at Hovander Homestead Park, 5299 Nielsen Ave. Buyers will also be able to choose from several thousand perennials, dahlia tubers and veggie starts. Additionally, there will be a Mother’s Day table with instant garden baskets, a shed containing plenty of used garden tools and other related treasures, and the return of the Ask a Master Gardener table.
For details about other upcoming events, go to whatcommgf.org
