A day for gardeners, young and old

MILLBROOK — There was a line of gardeners for the first day of the annual May Master Gardeners’ plant sale Friday, May 14, waiting to stock up on perennials, annuals, tomato plants and herbs at the Farm and Home Center on Route 44. The hellebores and the euphorbia were snatched up early in the day and the tomatoes were moving quickly. By the second day of the sale on Saturday, many coveted perennials were gone.

 All the plants are raised, potted and sold by the 76 members of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County, also known as CCEDC,  the master gardener program or even just “the extension.â€�

The annuals, vegetables and herbs got a head start in the new greenhouse, and the perennials were created from cuttings in the Farm and Home Center’s garden. All proceeds from the sale will support the master gardener program and the community gardens, which surround the Farm and Home Center and are always open to the public.

It was a day to ask the volunteers for garden suggestions.  Philomena Kurnan, who has a predilection for shade gardening, recommended deer-resistant helleborus foetidus, also known as stinking hellebore. Beth Doyle, another perennial expert, suggested achillea ptarmica, or sneeze weed, for an easy-to-grow plant in a sunny spot. And there were tables of gardening books — free for a voluntary donation.  

“We don’t even look to see what you put in,� Doyle said.

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