Glass Totems and Teacup Bird Feeders

The Pike County Master Gardener Association is shaking things up a little for our annual plant sale during Troy Fest this weekend. In addition to a shining plant selection, we are adding glass totems and teacup bird feeders and are really excited to show these off.

Here's a sample fresh off the assembly line:



Glass totems may sit directly in the garden, or staked like the teacup bird feeders. Their purpose is to draw the eye in and / or create a focal point in the garden. The teacup bird feeders may be used for birdseed or fresh water. Cleaning is a snap as they are removable from the stake. These look best in odd groupings.

Please come by our booth this weekend. We're absolutely sure you'll find something to love.

Fall Plant Sale Experience

What a fantastic day with the Wiregrass Master Gardeners' Association at their Fall Plant Sale at the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens yesterday! And what a mouthful! It was a fantastic learning experience and an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at this mega-successful production.

Some ideas I would like to adopt in my own club include:

1. Creating a resource guide for those working at the sale, containing information sheets on each plant offered, including pictures, mature height and spread, light and water requirements, etc, to better advise our buyers. Hey, not even Master Gardeners are experts on everything.

2. Partnering with local business for advertisements, signage, even manpower.

3. In the advertisements, encourage homeowners to come with their landscaping plans for advice AND plants.

4. Encouraging those working at the sale to wear green aprons (or t-shirt, or some other form of uniform) as a means of identification. For some reason, the green aprons popped in the crowd and blostered my confidence. I felt as if I belonged with this group of plant experts. It was amazing!

Given our size and number of active members, the Pike County Master Gardeners do a fair job at our annual plant sale, which is held during Troy Fest, the last weekend in April. With these few tweaks, we'll be well on our way to even greater success.