One of the questions we get asked quite often, in a variety of ways, is a question asking us what flower or vegetable we would recommend for a homeowner’s personal landscape. In all likelihood, you would get a slightly different answer from each Tulsa Master Gardener, depending on who you ask. Plant preferences and garden styles can be quite personal with everyone having slightly different tastes. So, to encourage eco-friendly gardens containing environmentally appropriate plant choices, we are excited to announce the start of our annual Online Plant Sale/Fundraiser (it actually begins tomorrow morning). This is the 30^th year for this event and we are very excited about the plant choices we have for you.

The last few years have been a bit challenging with our having to cancel the sale in 2020 due to Covid. However, having to deal with social distancing and keeping everyone safe while picking up their plants pushed us to find new and we think better ways of getting the plants into your hand. As a result, we now have drive through pick-up in which you don’t even need to get out or your car, you just pull into the Tulsa County Fairgrounds, make your way to the Exchange Center, get in line, and stay in your car. Master Gardeners will greet you and direct you to where you can pick up your plants. We’ll even put them in your trunk for you. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

We call it our Online Plant Sale/Fundraiser because all of your shopping can be done online from the convenience of wherever you would like to shop. When visiting our online store, you’ll be able to choose between 256 different varieties of plants plus we will have bags of worm castings and potting soil available as well.

In this year’s plant sale, you will find flats of annuals with 36 plants in each flat as well as individual annuals, perennials, herbs, milkweeds, ornamental grasses, and fruits and vegetables. Plus, you will be able to view these plants in groups online that would be best for sun, shade, or part sun. Since we all have different garden locations with different needs, being able to view plants that are recommended for a particular growing area really helps to make choosing your favorites pretty simple.

In addition to those standard collections of plants, we added a new category last year and it’s back again this year - native plants. Native plants are great for your garden in that they are well adapted to our local growing conditions. Since our Oklahoma summers can get hot and rain can be scarce, these native plants are well adapted to not only survive but thrive in our local conditions. As an added benefit, native plants are great for pollinators since they are plants local pollinating insects are familiar with. So, if you plant natives, get ready to see more butterflies in your landscape.

Speaking of pollinators, we also have a group of plants we’ve identified as not only pollinator friendly but that can serve as pollinator attractors to your garden. We have 52 different varieties of plants for pollinators to choose from so there should be something for everyone.

Not to be left out, most gardeners love to see Monarch butterflies in their garden, and we have a selection of milkweed plants that can not only attract Monarch butterflies to your garden, but will help support the Monarch butterflies on their spring migrations north and well as their fall migrations south as they head toward their overwintering site in Mexico. For those that don’t know, milkweed is the plant Monarch butterflies seek out to deposit their eggs. So, with a few milkweed plants in your garden, you’ll have a chance to see young monarch caterpillars on their way to becoming a butterfly. Just know, these caterpillars will devour your milkweed but that’s why you planted it… right?

Next up we have a great selection of fruits and vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and strawberries to name a few. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our selection of over 20 herbs you can choose from as well.

So, why have we been doing this for 30 years? I mentioned earlier that this was a fundraiser and in reality, it is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from the plant sale provide the much-needed funds to enable the variety of programs we offer the residents of Tulsa County. For starters, we maintain a Diagnostic Center Monday through Friday from 9:00 am till 4:00 pm at the Tulsa County Extension on 15^thstreet. During these hours, Tulsa Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer your gardening questions in person, on the phone, or via email. We also maintain an extensive library or OSU fact sheets on just about every horticultural topic you can imagine.

We also teach classes in area elementary schools on topics such as worms, seeds, soil, and trees among others. Each year we are typically in front of about 18,000 students hopefully sparking an interest in the natural wonders of our world.

We also landscape all of the Habitat for Humanity homes in town, visit senior living centers to engage them with a little horticultural therapy, and just last year started a small farm where we grow vegetables to donate to local food pantries. An let’s not forget our beautiful flowerpots in the Brookside area.

The Tulsa Master Gardeners have a lot going on and we hope you’ll not only support our efforts through this plant sale/fundraiser but also be able to get some beautiful plants for your landscape. Just visit our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org) and click on the plant sale graphic. Thank you Tulsa and we’ll see you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org.