With National Gardening Day being on April 14, this is a good time to mention the plant sale the Extension Master Gardener Volunteers hold at Publick Day at the Beaufort Historic Association, which happens to fall on April 14 and 15 this year. This plant sale features many plants these volunteers have propagated themselves as well as some vegetables for the garden and the last couple of years they have teamed up with local garden centers including Edgewater Gardens in Smyrna to offer some native flowering plants. Some of these plants will be perennial plants, meaning they will come back year after year to bless us with beautiful flowers.

Besides the flowers, native plants are well adapted to our area and support the local wildlife by providing nectar, pollen, fruits and seeds that feed the birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife. If you aren’t familiar with some of the native plants that work well in our gardens, stop by the plant sale on either of these two days, learn about some of the native plants, and help us celebrate National Gardening Day by planting a few plants in your own yard.

There are several native plants that have beautiful flowers and work really well in home gardens. One of the keys to finding these gems is knowing what your site and soil are like before you come to the sale. Then look for plants that do well in the situation you have in your yard. If you have questions about some of the plants, there will be several Extension Master Gardener Volunteers at the sale to answer your questions and help you find the perfect plant for that spot where nothing seems to grow.