DIG THIS | Classes, plant sales bring a hope of spring

What's Up gardening columnist Peg Tillery dishes out the low down

By Peg Tillery • April 26, 2008 2:12 pm

Tags: North Kitsap

It’s spring! That means composting, gardening and plant sales. You’ll want to attend one of these free compost class in April or May: April 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at Long Lake Community Center in Port Orchard; May 17 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Eagle’s Nest Room at the Fairgrounds; May 18 from 1-3 p.m. at Clear Creek Nursery in Silverdale; and May 25 from 1-3 p.m. at Valley Nursery in Poulsbo. The classes are presented by Bobbie Morgan, master composter, of Natural Landscapes Project. Reservations are requested. For more information, call Bobbie at (206) 842-5955. One lucky attendee at each class will have the opportunity to win a free Cascadia Composter.

Here’s this year’s list of upcoming plant sales:

• Kitsap Dahlia Society: April 4 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and April 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Crystal Grange, 2160 NE Paulson Road in Central Kitsap; and on April 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kitsap Saddle Club in Port Orchard. Call (360) 698-0123 for details.

• Central Valley Garden Club: April 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and April 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Central Valley Community Hall, 10200 Central Valley Road in Central Kitsap. Call (360) 697-1059 for details.

• Port Gamble S’Klallam second annual garden sale: April 25 in Little Boston at the Tribal Center. Call Laurie Mattson at (360) 297-6274 for more details.

• Long Lake Garden Club: May 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. across from Kitsap Bank on Bay Street in Port Orchard. Call (360) 769-2258 for details.

• The Fuchsia Society: May 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cat Barn at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Call (360) 692-6632 for details.

• Master Gardener Foundation of Kitsap County: May 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Van Zee Building at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Call (360) 337-7157 for details.

• Bainbridge Island Garden Club: May 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Ace Hardware on High School Road. Call (206) 780-6819 for details.

• The Evergreen Garden Club: May 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pope Center in Belfair. Call (360) 275-5783 for details.

• Poulsbo Garden Club: May 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at NW Design Center, at the intersection of Highway 305 and Hostmark in Poulsbo. Call (360) 697-1172 for details.

EcoFest, possibly our county’s most famous and free Earth Day celebration, is April 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stillwaters, 26059 Barber Cut-off Road in Kingston. This year, in addition to all the festivities, you can purchase and take native plants home. Planting native is great for the environment, helps local wildlife and saves on watering costs. Park at Bayside Church or Gordon Elementary, take the shuttle to attend EcoFest. They’ll also help you get purchased plants back to your vehicle. All plants are priced very reasonably, from $5 to $25. Visit www.stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org for a complete plant listing or call (360) 297-2876.

The number of Earth Day activities are astounding this year. We’ll try to list as many as we can at http://kitsap.wsu.edu, but also check the calendar section of this newspaper during April. Both Bremerton and Olympic College campuses have activities the week of April 21. Enviropalooza at Islandwood is April 13, with a complete schedule at http://www.islandwood.org/communityevents/enviropalooza or call (206) 855-4340. Wal-Mart in Port Orchard is celebrating Earth Day all during the month of April.WU