Marlborough – The Colonial Garden Club of Marlborough will hold its 24th annual Colonial Garden Club Plant Sale Saturday, May 11, at the 1LT Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union St., Marlborough, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event will feature free soil testing by the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association (massmastergardeners.org) and a Master Gardener Information Booth. The sale and free services will be indoors, rain or shine.
These free offerings are in addition to a fantastic range of home-grown plants, shrubs, trees, ground covers and herbs from the Marlborough gardens of the Colonial Garden Club members, all for sale at reasonable prices and for a good cause. The plant sale is one of two major fundraising programs by the club to fund scholarships for Marlborough youth, gardening education programs and city garden beautification. The beautiful gardens at all the major city entrances and exits, as well as the “Circle Garden” behind City Hall, the Women’s Veterans Park on Route 85 and Ghiloni Park gardens are all planted and maintained by the club’s volunteer members.
Bring a small soil specimen and your soil will be tested while you browse the hundreds of plants offered at the sale. To prepare a soil sample, dig five to 10 holes around the area (4” deep for lawns; 6” deep for gardens). Place soil from each hole into a clean bucket, remove stones, sticks and debris and mix thoroughly. Scoop out about ½ cup onto a clean piece of paper and let it dry 1-2 days. Put dry soil into a plastic bag and label bag to identify area.
The club holds regular meetings on the second Wednesday of the month from September through May at 7 p.m. at the Marlborough Senior Center, 40 New St. Interested parties are always welcome to attend. For more information, visit www.gcfm.org/colonial-gardenclubmarlborough.
