Plant auction set for Saturday at Harris Hall

Monday, May 8, 2017

The third annual Master Gardener Plant Auction is coming. On Saturday May 13 at 9:15 a.m., gardeners and future gardeners will gather at Harris Hall at the Putnam County Fairgrounds.

The staff is very excited that the event will be indoors this year. Upon arrival, persons will check in and then preview all plants.

Rick Parent of Sellabration Auction Services will be the auctioneer for the third year in a row. The auction will start at 10 a.m.

The flowers, shrubs, vines and trees that are being auctioned off are plants that have been raised by Putnam County’s Master Gardeners.

This is a great opportunity for gardeners to get some outstanding bargains.

First off, the plants come from the gardens of our friends and neighbors. This means that these plants will thrive in this area with our soil and our weather extremes. With water and a little care, these plants will continue to be successful when they’re transplanted to new local gardens.

Second, the plants at the auction come from plants raised by Putnam County’s Master Gardeners -- folks who are passionate about growing plants and who genuinely love to share their successes with other gardeners.

And finally, the plant auction is for a good cause. The proceeds from this auction go toward funding scholarships for post-secondary students who intend to study in a gardening-related field, such as plant science, landscape design or horticulture.

Several businesses in the community are also supporting the plant auction by contributing garden-related items for the auction. Businesses that have agreed to donate are Hilltop Orchids, Davidson Greenhouse, Walmart, Country Folks, Eitel’s, Yankee Rose, Kroger, Silverbell Florist and Headley Hardware.

Due to the recent hailstorm, Walmart has donated several flats of annuals, decorative containers of flowers, hanging baskets and more.

Do you believe you have something in your garden that could be included in the plant auction? If your flowerbeds are overgrown and you are thinking about thinning them out, we would welcome your donations for the auction. Call 317-341-1324 with questions or to schedule a pick up.

Plan to spend the morning of May 13 with other plant lovers. Come and check out the healthy, hardy and well-loved plants that will be auctioned off.

Fair warning: You’ll probably be hauling home several plants. So, clean out your car’s back seat and make room in the trunk.

Visit www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or contact the local Purdue Extension Office by calling 653-8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs.

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 11 - Gardener Gatherings: Composting and Soil Amendments, Extension Office, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Register at 653-8411.

May 13 – Third annual plant auction sponsored by the Putnam County Master Gardeners, Fairgrounds. Auction starts at 10 a.m.

May 13 – Putnam 4-H Sheep/Goat tag retinal scan, Fairgrounds, 8 a.m.-noon.

May 15 – Livestock enrollment deadline for 4-H animals.

May 16 -- Healthy Aging program, Extension Office, 5 p.m.

May 25 – What Women in Agriculture Need to Know about Personal Finance webinar, noon. Register at https://ag.purdue.edu/Extension/wia/Pages/webinars.aspx

May 25 -- Gardener Gatherings: Basics of Having Trees, Extension Office, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Register at 653-8411.

June 13 – Electricity Workshop for 4-H’ers, Harris Hall, 9 a.m.-noon.

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