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<b>Renquist</b>
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Quickly, try to think of something that has not gone up in price during the past two years. Gas, food, appliances, cars, services have all seen price increases.
Aha! I have one: my house.
Anyway, outside of real estate, there aren’t very many things that I use with prices that have not been zooming higher. That’s why I think it’s important for me to remind you that the OSU Master Gardeners will be holding its 22nd annual Plant and Garden Expo from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
That group prides itself on producing quality homegrown plants at prices that are affordable for everyone.
One day a year OSU Master Gardeners bring thousands of plants to the Douglas County Fairgrounds to sell to the public. These plants have been grown by group volunteers as part of their educational program. And the Plant and Garden Expo is the Master Gardeners’ major fundraiser for the year.
The funds raised each year go to support all aspects of their programs for the community. These funds support educational outreach programs by buying computers and projectors for public presentations. Funds support plant clinic activities through the purchase of microscopes and soil testing equipment used by these volunteers.
Aha! I have one: my house.
Anyway, outside of real estate, there aren’t very many things that I use with prices that have not been zooming higher. That’s why I think it’s important for me to remind you that the OSU Master Gardeners will be holding its 22nd annual Plant and Garden Expo from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
That group prides itself on producing quality homegrown plants at prices that are affordable for everyone.
One day a year OSU Master Gardeners bring thousands of plants to the Douglas County Fairgrounds to sell to the public. These plants have been grown by group volunteers as part of their educational program. And the Plant and Garden Expo is the Master Gardeners’ major fundraiser for the year.
The funds raised each year go to support all aspects of their programs for the community. These funds support educational outreach programs by buying computers and projectors for public presentations. Funds support plant clinic activities through the purchase of microscopes and soil testing equipment used by these volunteers.
With these funds Master Gardeners have also been able to build a beautiful teaching garden. The Discovery Garden is located next to River Forks Park on what was once the Pitchford Boys Ranch. This garden is open to the public as a demonstration area where we teach sustainable horticulture classes to the public. The Plant and Garden Expo funds are also used to support our greenhouse activities each year as part of our educational programs.
When the Plant and Garden Expo moved to the Douglas County Fairgrounds last year, other local vendors were invited to participate. We were very pleased to have 36 vendors join us in making the event bigger and better than ever before. The same number of vendors signed up again this year.
Having other local vendors join us brings a much greater variety of plant material together in one place creating, a very festive atmosphere for buyers. Visitors to our expo will see plants of all kinds, annual and perennial flowers, vegetable starts, shrubs, trees, garden art, garden tools and many unusual specialty plants.
If you support the concepts of buying local and sustainable partnerships, then the Plant and Garden Expo is a win-win for everyone. The program begins with Master Gardeners getting an education from OSU Extension Service, the public gets plants at affordable prices, the expo’s money is spent back into our county on educational outreach programming and the local vendor partners get increased exposure and sales in their home marketplace.
This is exactly the kind of program activity that adds real value to our community. Come out and see why the OSU Master Gardener Plant and Garden Expo just keeps on growing.
<i>Steve Renquist is the Horticulture Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by email at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu or at 541-672-4461.</i>
When the Plant and Garden Expo moved to the Douglas County Fairgrounds last year, other local vendors were invited to participate. We were very pleased to have 36 vendors join us in making the event bigger and better than ever before. The same number of vendors signed up again this year.
Having other local vendors join us brings a much greater variety of plant material together in one place creating, a very festive atmosphere for buyers. Visitors to our expo will see plants of all kinds, annual and perennial flowers, vegetable starts, shrubs, trees, garden art, garden tools and many unusual specialty plants.
If you support the concepts of buying local and sustainable partnerships, then the Plant and Garden Expo is a win-win for everyone. The program begins with Master Gardeners getting an education from OSU Extension Service, the public gets plants at affordable prices, the expo’s money is spent back into our county on educational outreach programming and the local vendor partners get increased exposure and sales in their home marketplace.
This is exactly the kind of program activity that adds real value to our community. Come out and see why the OSU Master Gardener Plant and Garden Expo just keeps on growing.
<i>Steve Renquist is the Horticulture Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by email at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu or at 541-672-4461.</i>
