Musing on a wealth of horticultural happenings, from the Martha and Mary garden tour to 85th Annual Dalia Show to the Kitsap County Fair.

Starting July 29 and running through the Kitsap County Fair, August abounds with a host of events to appeal to gardeners.

The Martha and Mary Health and Rehab Center 2009 Garden Tour kicks it off, from 6:30-8 p.m. July 29 at 19160 Front Street in Poulsbo. Each year the public is invited to stroll through the resident gardens and greenhouse. It’s an opportunity to learn about the horticulture program and how it impacts the lives of those living at the facility. The tour begins in the chapel. To RSVP, call Sandy at 360-779-7500 ext. 4317 or email gardenactivity@mmhc.org. There is no charge for this event but donations to the horticulture program are welcomed.

Then, from 1-6 p.m. Aug. 1-2, Kitsap’s 85th Annual Dahlia Show will inhabit Presidents Hall at the Kitsap Fairgrounds. If you grow dahlias, the Kitsap Dahlia Society, who coordinates the show, says bring your entries from 7-9:30 a.m. that day. They’ll show you how to enter and you may just win an award. Admission is free. For more information(360) 792-9596.

While at the Dahlia Show Aug. 1, take in the Anna Smith Children’s Garden open house put on by the WSU Kitsap Extension Master Gardeners. The garden is north of the intersection of Tracyton Boulevard and Fairgrounds Road. Parking is available along the road and in the parking lot on Fairgrounds Road. Master Gardeners will be there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. offering guided tours of the Native Plant Trail and providing the opportunity to learn a host of gardening tips and techniques. They will also have plants for sale.

That day will also features the grand opening of the butterfly garden at Anna Smith — celebrating the Fiskars award being presented to the WSU Kitsap Master Gardeners to expand their programs at the garden. For more details on the award and to see exquisite and inspiring photos of the garden, visit the Fiskars Web site.

Speaking of kids, the WSU Extension Master Gardeners at both Anna Smith Children’s Garden and Raab Park Youth Garden in Poulsbo (south end of Caldart) are offering free gardening classes for kids and their accompanying adults on every Monday from now through Aug. 24 at Raab Park and every Wednesday from now through Aug. 26 at Anna Smith.

Flyers listing the classes are available at all the Kitsap Farmers Markets or by calling the WSU Kitsap Extension Office at (360) 337-7158. Master Gardeners are onsite at Anna Smith from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays and at Raab Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays.

Also don’t miss the Great Peninsula Future Festival on Aug. 1 and 2 in Port Gamble. Enjoy over a hundred green lifestyle exhibits, activities for kids, speakers on a host of topics, money-saving workshops, hand made crafts by local artisans, tempting food and entertainment by the New Old Time Chautauqua (old time vaudeville troupe with live music, magic shows, juggling and acrobatics).

Last but not least the Kitsap County Fair runs Aug. 26-30 this year.

You could have even more fun this year at the fair by entering something you’ve created in the last year. Entries in photography, art, home arts, crafts and hobbies will be taken from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 15 and 16. Open Class Horticulture and Open Class Floriculture are from noon to 8 p.m. on Aug. 24 because these items are more perishable. The Kitsap County Parks Web site lists the complete Premium Book explaining how and when to enter items for the fair. Be sure to read carefully and follow all instructions to avoid disqualifying.

Peg Tillery is a Horticulture and Shoreline Educator for WSU Extension Kitsap. She can be reached at ptillery@co.kitsap.wa.us or (360) 337-7224.