Oregon Plant Fair 2008

GRAB THE GREATEST!
This year, don't plant the ordinary
This year, your garden will be extraordinary.

ONE DAY ONLY - SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008 9:00 - 2:00
Right before Mother's Day

ALTON BAKER PARK (click for map)

Fabulous plants, incredible art, music, food, fun

Brought to you by Avid Gardeners and the Willamette District Garden Clubs.
Willamette District Advisor Georgia Zahar
OSFGC President and Willamette District Advisor Sherry Cossey

A portion of proceeds to benefit GrassRoots Garden, Food for Lane County.

Volunteer Opportunities - Help us set up and attend a preview sale. All Avid Gardener members who volunteer for the plant fair get rewarded with the chance to pre-purchase plants before the sale begins. Oh boy.

The World's Shortest Horticultural Road Trip

Rooooad trip! Gardening road trip! This year you've determined to add the latest and greatest plants to your yard, and how better than by visiting Oregon's innovative specialty nurseries? Pack your bags, it could be a long trip. You could clock over a thousand miles touring the state.

Or not.

What if all those nurseries came to you? One short drive to Alton Baker Park - one glorious day of plant perusal. That's the idea behind the Oregon Plant Fair 2008, a one-day garden festival and sale presented by the Avid Gardeners and the Willamette District Garden Clubs. Sandra Rossi, vice president of the Avid Gardeners, explains it quite simply: "We like plants. We want to see plants. We want to buy plants."

"We're suckers for cool plants," adds Alice Doyle, co-owner of Log House Plants and another Avid Gardener. So they brought together some passionate gardeners, invited their specialty nursery friends - Maurice Horn of Joy Creek Nursery in Scapoose, Fred Weisensee and Leonard Foltz from Dancing Oaks in Monmouth, and Jim Gilbert from One Green World in Molalla, to name a few - and the dream road trip comes true for plant fanatics and novices alike. "It's the ultimate in one-stop discovery for rare, traditional, and specialty plants," says Doyle.

The plant people also have invited their artist friends, who will show custom metalwork, mosaics, sculpture, pottery, furniture, wood crafts, and glass creations for gardens large and small. The garden party will include community resource demonstrations, an "Ask the Experts" pavilion staffed by experienced growers and Master Gardeners, and offerings from the gardens of Willamette District Garden Clubs' members. All this will take place against the grassy green backdrop of Alton Baker Park, with delicious food and live music to fuel the festive atmosphere. And, in keeping with Avid Gardeners' motto, "The World is Your Garden," a portion of the proceeds of plants or artwork purchased will help cultivate the GrassRoots Garden of Food for Lane County. Last year, over 30 per cent of the net profit benefited The Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah.

It's an exciting opportunity for area greenthumbs. Freelance garden writer Mary-Kate Mackey, another Avid Gardener, points out, "Our state has an incredible diversity of small independent nurseries - we're third in the country for wholesale plant sales." And a very short road trip to Alton Baker Park on May 10 will bring you that horticultural wealth. "Independent nurseries are Oregon's gardening gold," says Mackey.

Doyle adds, "It's a party - mark your calendars!"

Art Vendors

Katy and David Adamson
9th Street Gallery
www.adamsonfusedglass.com
Newport, OR.
Fused glass large flowers and garden art

Annie Alcorn and Paul Samuelson
Bendstone
www.bendstone.com
Bend, OR
Cast stone garden planters

Erika Beyer
Eugene, OR
Botanical note cards and prints

Ian Beyer
Eugene, OR.
Welded whimsical metal art

Ryan Beard
One Sun Metalwerks
www.onesunmetalwerks.com
Eugene, OR.
Large metal structures and sculptures for home and garden

Jerry and Jackie Buskirk
Wood~N~Iron
Cottage Grove, OR.
Custom metal art, gates, bird baths, armillaries

Denise Davis
Karmadilo Kreations
Dexter, OR.
Leaf in print tableware and wall art, garden stone

Keri Elliott
Rufus and Co., Corner Cottage Gallery
Eugene, OR.
Garden aprons, picnic tablecloth sets, garden plant markers, totes

Julie Fiedler
Tilebiz
www.juliefiedler.com
Otis, OR.
Ceramic sculpture, tile paintings

Jack Hays and Krista Stoner
Hays Designs
Portland, OR.
Unique large ceramic painted pots and water features

Jason Huebner
New Earth Designs
Eugene, OR.
Concrete bird baths

Bob Lile
IronSnag
www.ironsnag.com
Springfield, OR.
TrelLink Designs, interconnecting trellises

Joe and Vanca Lumsden
Albe Rustic Furniture
www.alberustics.com
Greenbank, WA.
Twig and rustic wood garden furniture

Lee Makinson
Cottage Grove, OR.
Quality cedar yard and garden products

Dianna Steinauer
Mandatory Fun
Albany, OR.
Mosaic garden art

Cathy Turley
Native Glass Studio
www.nativeglassstudio.com
Albany, OR.
Fused glass, whimsical fused glass faces on garden stakes

Mickey Voorhies
Custom Copper and Iron
Blue River, OR
Creative metal art for home and garden, garden stakes

Plant Vendors

Bloom River Gardens, McKenzie River Valley
www.bloomriver.com
Mark and Val Bloom

Champion Acres, Cottage Grove
www.championacres.com
Nathan and Marie Champion

Cistus Nursery, Sauvie Island
www.cistus.com
Sean Hogan

Dancing Oaks Nursery, Monmouth
www.dancingoaks.com
Leonard Foltz and Fred Weisensee

Fancy Fronds
www.fancyfronds.com
Gold Bar, Washington

Oregon Highland Heather, Canby
Stephani McRae-Dickey

Joy Creek Nursery, Scapoose
www.joycreek.com
Maurice Horn and Mike Smith

Lane County Dahlia Society, Eugene
www.dahlias.net
Lexa Cookson

Log House Plants, Dorena Lake
www.loghouseplants.com
Alice Doyle and Greg Lee

Lorane Hills Farm and Nursery, Lorane
Evelyn and David Hess

Northwest Garden Nursery, Veneta
www.northwestgardennursery.com
Ernie and Marietta O'Bryne

Northwest Native Trees, Goshen
Bob Kendall

One Green World, Molalla
www.onegreenworld.com
Jim Gilbert

Rogerson Clematis Collection, Portland
www.rogersonclematiscollection.org
Linda Beutler

Sebright Gardens, Brooks
www.sebrightgardens.com
Kirk Hansen and Thomas

Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery, Talent
www.siskiyourareplantnursery.com
Dale Sullivan

Van Hevelingen Nursery, Newberg
Andy Van Hevelingen

Wild Ginger Farm, Beavercreek
www.wildgingerfarm.com
Truis Jensen and Emma Elliot

Plant Previews Coming soon... Descriptions by vendors of three great plants they are bringing to the sale!