By Rita Pelczar
Do you love native plants? Then don’t miss Marshall Native Gardens Native Plant Festival on Saturday, October 14, from 8:30 am until 4 pm, rain or shine, located on the grounds of the Madison County Library in Marshall. We’ll have kids activities, live music, docent-led garden tours, talks on native azaleas, plant and book sales, and more.
The theme of this year’s festival is native azaleas. Did you know that the vast majority of the 17 North American azalea species are native to the Appalachian region? Azalea expert Alan Smith will present a talk on native species and their care. There will also be talks on other topics—all talks are free.
Garden talks, book sale, kids activities, and more
In addition to four scheduled garden talks, highlights of the festival include docent-led garden tours, children’s activities, live music, garden treasures rummage sale, garden book sale, and an azalea raffle. Ten local vendors will be selling lots of exciting and locally adapted native plants, so don’t forget your wallet. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from Sweet Monkey Catering.
Marshall Native Gardens Initiative (MNGI), is designed to promote the cultivation of native plants throughout its 11 themed gardens. Developed and maintained entirely by volunteers, the gardens are open to the public free of charge. New volunteers are always welcome. If you are interested in volunteering in this fun and worthwhile garden effort, please call Ed McNally at 828-333-3883. Satellite parking with free shuttle service to and from the Gardens will be available on the day of the festival.
Sponsored by Marshall Native Gardens Initiative and the Madison County Garden Club, all proceeds from the festival go to support these organizations. For more details on the gardens or specifics about the festival including times and topics of each talk, visit the MNGI website. The Madison County Public Library in Marshall is the site of the Marshall Native Gardens Festival.
See you there!
By Rita Pelczar
Native Plant News – Fall 2023
A lifelong gardener, Rita Pelczar has written on a wide range of plant topics for both magazines and books. She is currently a contributing editor for The American Gardener and contributing writer for Better Homes & Gardens Online. She has been an active volunteer with Marshall Native Gardens for over 10 years.