Free event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Twin Lakes Park on Clark Road
On Oct. 8, the 16th Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale and EdFest will offer “a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get great plants and advice for your landscape and to learn about the array of UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County services,” the staff of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension service has announced.
Co-hosted by Extension staff and Master Gardener Volunteers, the event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Twin Lakes Park, which stands at 6700 Clark Road in Sarasota, a news release notes.
At the event, visitors will be able to choose from among hundreds of shrubs, trees, palms, annuals, herbs and other plant varieties identified as “Florida-friendly” by the University of Florida, as well as get gardening and landscaping advice from Extension-trained Master Gardener Volunteers, the release explains. “The EdFest will showcase public programs and services offered through Extension, from agricultural advice to youth development,” the release adds.
“The Sarasota County Extension Master Gardeners work tirelessly throughout the year to prepare for this event,” said Ashley Ellis, residential horticulture agent with UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, in the release. “Most of the plants sold they grow in their own backyards, carefully tended to using the skills they’ve honed over the years and with the education they gained through the Master Gardener Volunteer training program,” she added in the release.
“We’re so excited to meet with visitors to match them with the right plants for their landscape and to connect them with research-based solutions for their horticultural needs,” Ellis said.
Admission is free, with plant purchases available by cash or check, the release notes. “Proceeds from sales benefit Sarasota County Master Gardener Volunteer program efforts to support school gardens and community projects,” the release adds.
A new feature of this year’s event will be the addition of two food trucks, the release points out. The Big Blue and The Maine Line trucks will set up on-site, starting at 11 a.m., and serve an array of sandwiches, soups, beverages and other items, the release says.
The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer program is led by the University of Florida and operated through county-level UF/IFAS Extension offices, the release explains. In Sarasota County, the program supports demonstration landscapes and educational outreach projects, and it operates the popular Plant Clinic help desks, the release points out.
For more information, call 941-861-5000, email sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu or visit sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/plantsale.
Any person who requires special accommodations to attend a UF/IFAS event may contact staff in advance at 941-861-9874 or by email: sustainablesarasota@scgov.net.