Contributed by Sue Wallin
Mark your calendar for the last Saturday in May. Come to the Boys and Girls Club of Mat-Su, located at 3700 East Bogard Road, just east of Seward Meridian intersection. The sale is open to the public from 9am to 3pm. Loyal customers begin amassing at 8am.
Search for annuals inside the double garage doors. From artichokes to zucchini, we have veggie starts and herbs galore, for gourmet cooking and canning. The east wall is generally FULL of healthy tomato plants of all sizes and varieties. Look for interesting houseplants along the west wall. Forty tables of annual flowers fill up the interior. We do try to post labels and volunteer members will help you locate plants you seek.
Step outside to the south patio for a gorgeous view and hundreds of hardy perennial plants that grow well in our climate. Members share plants from their own gardens. Trees, shrubs, berries, roots… plants large and small, with helpful growers standing by to answer your questions.
We also have a gently used tool section that has become a very popular feature at this event. Several members offer garden art for sale.
Once again, the generous neighboring properties have opened their parking lots to us. If you are able to walk a couple hundred yards, please do; as many of our customers cannot. Kindly respect the reserved spaces near the building for those in need. We ask that you DO NOT park along Bogard Road due to the heavy traffic. It is quite dangerous crossing this road heavily laden with plants.
Please bring your own cart or wagon as we have very few. Personalize your cart with ribbons, paint, survey tape or your distinctive signature style duct tape job. Once again, there will be a holding zone for paid plants at the east edge of the parking lot. You can check in your order, go fetch your vehicle and do a drive by to pick up your plants. Traffic is one way: IN from the west drive, OUT at the east drive.
Many thanks to Alaska State Fair, Boys and Girls Club, Alaska Water Conditioning, Turn A Leaf Thrift Store, and our many dedicated Valley Garden Club volunteers and growers for helping pull this together. Thank you to our loyal customers who buy healthy plants grown in the valley for the valley! Your continued support is sincerely appreciated.
