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The WSU San Juan County
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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our 2020 annual native plant sale was drastically reduced to only include potted plants that had been pre-purchased from Fourth Corner Nursery, and from Salish Seeds Nursery. We had to cancel all of our bare-root orders. The sale was limited to only pre-orders and only to Master Gardeners, who were able to order and pick up for friends and family. Plant orders were put together for outdoor pick-up at Red Mill Farm, thanks to Eliza Habegger of the Land Bank.
We were sorry to have to cut back so much but had no choice, given the unusual circumstances. Unlike the Spring Plant Sale for which vegetable starts are all grown on San Juan Island, with the exception of the native plants from Salish Seeds Nursery, all of the bare root native plant stock and potted plants are purchased from off-island. Covid-19 restrictions made it impossible for us to pick up and to bundle any bareroot plants.
The current uncertainty leaves us with concerns about being in the same predicament for a native plant sale in the spring of 2021. We continue to work on a strategy to be able to once again provide you with a variety of beautiful and useful native plants in the future. Stay tuned.
We were sorry to have to cut back so much but had no choice, given the unusual circumstances. Unlike the Spring Plant Sale for which vegetable starts are all grown on San Juan Island, with the exception of the native plants from Salish Seeds Nursery, all of the bare root native plant stock and potted plants are purchased from off-island. Covid-19 restrictions made it impossible for us to pick up and to bundle any bareroot plants.
The current uncertainty leaves us with concerns about being in the same predicament for a native plant sale in the spring of 2021. We continue to work on a strategy to be able to once again provide you with a variety of beautiful and useful native plants in the future. Stay tuned.
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The WSU San Juan County
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The Spring Plant Sale is an eagerly anticipated island institution, offering thousands of unique vegetable starts and landscape perennials every May, just in time for Mother’s Day.
Master Gardeners grow all of the perennials in their gardens, so they’re “island-adapted” to our unique maritime climate. Each year’s selections include groundcovers, perennial flowers, ornamental grasses and small shrubs, with many native plants.
Vegetable varieties are those we love for their wonderful flavors and dependability in our short summers, and nearly all are heirlooms or open pollinated varieties not available elsewhere. We have “Arc of Taste” heirlooms, a living catalog of delicious and distinctive food; Master Gardener “taste test” winners; a legendary number of cherry tomatoes; and veggies that work well in small gardens or containers.
All plants are affordably priced, and proceeds from the sale are used to support Master Gardener programs such as the Demonstration Garden at the Mullis Center, and this sale. The Demonstration Garden provides over 1,500 pounds of produce every year for the Food Bank. Funds also support plant Diagnostic Clinics on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands.
Master Gardeners grow all of the perennials in their gardens, so they’re “island-adapted” to our unique maritime climate. Each year’s selections include groundcovers, perennial flowers, ornamental grasses and small shrubs, with many native plants.
Vegetable varieties are those we love for their wonderful flavors and dependability in our short summers, and nearly all are heirlooms or open pollinated varieties not available elsewhere. We have “Arc of Taste” heirlooms, a living catalog of delicious and distinctive food; Master Gardener “taste test” winners; a legendary number of cherry tomatoes; and veggies that work well in small gardens or containers.
All plants are affordably priced, and proceeds from the sale are used to support Master Gardener programs such as the Demonstration Garden at the Mullis Center, and this sale. The Demonstration Garden provides over 1,500 pounds of produce every year for the Food Bank. Funds also support plant Diagnostic Clinics on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands.
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The WSU San Juan County Master Gardeners
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Our WSU Master Gardener Foundation mission is to engage university-trained volunteers to empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, unbiased, research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education. With this mission in mind we offer our Gardening Workshop annually in October to our gardening community.
In 2020 the pandemic required us to hold it virtually as the Garden Workshop Series. We hope to present our program in person on San Juan Island in 2021. We will update our workshop plans in Summer of 2021.
Our 2020 workshop included eight presentations. Our speakers were WSU professors, professional gardeners and accomplished Master Gardeners who shared their knowledge, experience and beautiful photographs of plants, flowers, birds and bees. Topics varied from hummingbird gardens to native bees, propagation techniques, caring for and pruning fruit trees, raised bed gardening, greenhouse utilization and sustainable flower arranging.
Three hundred plus Washington state gardeners attended the 2020 Garden Workshop Series. Our speakers and presentations received excellent reviews from home gardeners and master gardeners alike. The enthusiasm for this new format was more than we expected. Thanks to all who attended!
In 2020 the pandemic required us to hold it virtually as the Garden Workshop Series. We hope to present our program in person on San Juan Island in 2021. We will update our workshop plans in Summer of 2021.
Our 2020 workshop included eight presentations. Our speakers were WSU professors, professional gardeners and accomplished Master Gardeners who shared their knowledge, experience and beautiful photographs of plants, flowers, birds and bees. Topics varied from hummingbird gardens to native bees, propagation techniques, caring for and pruning fruit trees, raised bed gardening, greenhouse utilization and sustainable flower arranging.
Three hundred plus Washington state gardeners attended the 2020 Garden Workshop Series. Our speakers and presentations received excellent reviews from home gardeners and master gardeners alike. The enthusiasm for this new format was more than we expected. Thanks to all who attended!