2024 April 6 & 7 Gardeners’ Dirt

My name is Stacey Ontai, the new greenhouse manager at the Victoria Educational Gardens.

It is my pleasure to invite you to the Victoria Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale. The sale will be Saturday, April 20 at the Pavilion, 283 Bachelor Drive, Victoria from 8 a.m. to noon.

Working alongside fellow Master Gardeners has been a wonderful experience. We trade stories as we sow seeds, transplant and fertilize seedlings for our spring plant sale.

The sale will have something for everyone.

I mistakenly thought that I had an extensive knowledge of plants since I have a bachelor’s degree in horticultural science from the University of Hawaii and have lived and worked in various places. However, I soon learned that I have much to gain from my fellow certified Master Gardeners who are knowledgeable and so dedicated to the Victoria County Master Gardner Association’s mission of educating the public on horticultural practices.

I have been introduced to greenhouse plants that I have never seen. Plants like the Painted Fingernail Bromeliad with its pink colored leaf tips, the Pencil Cactus with its pencil-like stems and the Dragon Fruit plant with its three-sided fleshy stem. You will see these three plants and many more at the spring plant sale.

Most spring plants are easy to grow and will provide color to landscapes or homes. Some colorful plants at the sale include: petunias, zinnias, wildflowers, sunflowers, marigolds, Aggie hibiscus, Texas Star hibiscus, Confederate roses and Tahitian Bridal Veil.

Succulents like Aloe vera), Haworthia (small succulents with rosettes of leaves), Echeveria (aka “hen and chicks” are host plants for butterflies) and Kalanchoe. All these sun-loving succulents will be available.

You will find hanging baskets of mint, yarrow, ice plants, and snapdragon vines, along with special fairy gardens, lettuce bowls and a few Tua Tua trees.

We have been fortunate this year in obtaining hybrid and heirloom tomatoes and peppers as well as a few All-America Selections (AAS) tomatoes and peppers.

“All-America Selections is an independent non-profit organization that tests new, never-before-sold varieties for home gardeners. After a full season of anonymous trialing by volunteer horticulture professionals, only the top garden performers are given the AAS Winner award.” Their motto is “Tested Nationally & Proven Locally.”

One of the AAS tomatoes called chocolate stripes will be for sale. It is an indeterminate growing, heirloom (which means you can save the seeds), high yielding tomato plant. It is known for its wonderful flavor that is sweet and slightly tangy. The 3-6” fruit has a dark olive-green striping thus giving it the name chocolate stripes.

This year we have expanded the selection of native plants through propagation efforts and sourcing from Texas native plant nurseries. Native plants have grown in popularity because they are easy to grow, are low maintenance, are adapted to heat and drought tolerant. The roots of native plants hold the soil and prevent erosion. Native plants are nectar favorites for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Some of the native plants we plan to have at the sale are Indian Blankets aka Firewheels, Black-eyed Susan, Scarlet and Mealy Blue Sages, Turk’s Cap, Texas Lantana, Texas Rock Rose, Texas Purple Sage/Cenizo, Gregg’s Mistflowers, Scorpion Tail, Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye, Pigeon Berry, Kidneywood, Coral Honeysuckle, Snapdragon Vine, and Texas Mountain Laurel.

This year at our Garden Boutique you will find handmade birdhouses, bird feeders, gardening books, plants, cookbooks, tea pots, teacups, plant pots, and garden decor for sale.

There will be NO TAX charged on the day of the plant sale. We accept cash, checks and credit cards.

See you at the Plant Sale on Saturday, April 20, 8 a.m. to noon at the VEG Pavilion on 283 Bachelor Drive. Come early for best selections!