The East Hawaii Master Gardeners will gather hundreds of plants grown in Hilo for a plant sale next week.
The master gardeners have been growing and cultivating the plants featured in this sale, which include native plants, perennial edibles, produce seed starts, herbs and tropical fruit trees.
There will also be information booths set up by some of the master gardeners, the Big Island Invasive Species Council, One Cacao, Hawaii Ant Lab, Hawaii Wildfire Management and Outdoor Circle.
“Before COVID-19, we would have just focused on the sale of plants, but we wanted to branch out and bring in partner organizations to share more information on plants and gardening,” said co-coordinator Laura Rieber. “People can come and buy plants and also take the time to ask questions to specialists and watch demonstrations.”
Some of the master gardeners will be giving small-scale hydroponics demonstrations throughout the day, and Jessica Santa Cruz from Hawaii Wildlife Management will serve as a main speaker during the event.
“This is our second in-person event since COVID, and we have worked really hard throughout the year to make it happen,” Rieber said. “We hope community members come out to the sale, whether it’s to buy plants or learn, and provide us with their own recommendations for the future as well.”
The plant sale will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, at the University of Hawaii Komohana Research and Extension Center in Hilo.
The East Hawaii Master Gardeners are a volunteer program that is based out of the Extension Center, 875 Komohana St., where they work on the plant helpline every Friday.
New and experienced plant enthusiasts are encouraged to call the helpline with any questions about gardening, native plants, pest identification, plant diseases or anything else that may pop up.
“Every Friday, people can come in, or call to ask questions. We are here for the community,” Rieber said. “The more I work as a master gardener, the more I see how helpful it is for those daily questions.”
The East Hawaii Master Gardeners are a regional entity of a national program that requires extensive training. Training for this year has closed and will take place from February to May.
Thirty people will take lecture-style classes from different specialists each week for about 2.5 hours every Friday. A hands-on lab follows the lectures, which cover topics like basic botany, forestry, tropical fruits and nuts and soil science.
Although they are filled with 30 participants for training this year, applications for 2025 are open at tinyurl.com/52atvk9y.
The master gardener helpline can be reached Fridays at (808) 969-8203, or via email any day at himga@hawaii.edu.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.