Those traveling along U.S. 421 just south of Clinton will see a splash of color as they pass by the Sampson County Cooperative Extension headquarters over the next several weeks. A group of local gardeners are inviting everyone to stop by.
“This is something we do every year,” said Mary Burke-Bass, president of the Sampson County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program, of the group’s annual azalea sale. It will extend over the coming weeks at the Extension Office, located at 55 Agriculture Place, Clinton. “We use the money for projects in the community.”
The group maintains a demonstration garden located at the Extension Office, an herb garden at the Sampson County History Museum, a welcome garden on U.S. 421 North at the Industrial Park Entrance and the many plants inside the entrance of the Extension office, among others. They also work with 4-H youth and teens with the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. Master gardeners teach classes and educate youth where their food comes from and the importance of the earth. They also hold free seminars about any number of topics, from the many uses of herbs in cooking and healing to basic practices such as pruning fruit trees and growing vegetables.
The Master Gardeners are also starting a butterfly garden at the Extension office. That will be part of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s Butterfly Highway, a statewide conservation initiative that aims to restore native pollinator habitats to areas impacted by urbanization, land use change and agriculture across the state.
On Saturday, the group kicked off its annual azalea sale, which helps ensure that outreach can continue and the many gardens, as well as the greenhouse at the Extension office, can be replenished.
The sale will be open from Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from now through next month. It was previously held off Sunset Avenue near Sampson Community College. The Master Gardeners — there are 20 members in Sampson — grow everything but the azaleas themselves, which come from a local nursery, so all plants are local.
The gardeners are offering mid- to late-bloomers and formosa azaleas for $12 each, or 10 for $100. The red geranium that is drought resistant and heat tolerant is also back this year along with a new addition — superbells, a mounding plant that Burke-Bass noted makes for a beautiful hanging basket. Geraniums are also $12 apiece and the superbells cost $15 for a pot and $20 for a hanging basket.
There will also be a variety of herbs for sale, including basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley and thyme. They will be $2.50 each for a 4-inch pot. Those were also grown right there in the Extension greenhouse.
Burke-Bass said she hopes to raise $3,000 this year, money that all goes right back into the community.
Originated at N.C. State University, the North Carolina Extension Master Gardener program began in New Hanover County in 1979. To become a Master Gardener, one must go through 16 weeks of training and then pass a test. That status then allows those masters to pay it forward through classes, workshops, demonstrations and other events.
Burke-Bass and others are constantly trying to come up with fresh ideas and new ways to reach out to the community and spread the word about the group.
One of those innovations is “Art in the Park,” which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 8, showcasing yard art exhibits along with the gardeners’ plant sales and several other activities. Burke-Bass said the azalea sale will still be ongoing during that event, and she is hoping most of the group’s hot house plants are sold that day.
“We’re looking for April 8 to be our big day as far as selling our greenhouse plants,” said Burke-Bass. “We’re trying to have people pre-order our geraniums and superbells. We have two pick-up dates, April 8 and April 28. I’m pretty sure we won’t have any geraniums after April 8.”
She is also very much looking forward to putting the various art pieces made from “junk” in backyards on display.
Among the items, there will be “a Mardi Gras” bicycle, a rocking chair made out of a shovel, a plastic tricycle re-purposed into a planter, a grapevine wreath wrapped around a bird feeder and a straight chair that has a planter built into it. Burke-Bass said she rescued the chair herself, spray painted it and took the top of a round grill, inverted it and placed it in the seat as the foundation for a flower bed.
“This is the first year we have done anything like this,” said Burke-Bass. “There’s going to be some really neat stuff out there. It’s just to bring awareness to the group and show people what they can do with junk in their yard.”
As part of “Art in the Park,” there will be many other activities, including an herb cooking session. There is a $15 registration fee to cover the cost of material. The menu offers a main course, side dishes, dessert and drink.
For those seeking more information about the plant sale, “Art in the Park” or about how to become a member, reach the Master Gardener Program through the Cooperative Extension office at 910-592-7161 or contact Burke-Bass at 910-214-1963. The Master Gardeners meet at its “home base,” the Extension office, the second Thursday of every month.