Growth partnership: Master Gardeners, university students combine experience and helping hands

Garden enthusiasts will find more plants than usual available at the Master Gardeners sixth annual plant sale this weekend. About 80,000 plants have been nurtured since January in a first-time partnership between Cape County Master Gardeners and Southeast Missouri State University Agriculture students.

Petunias, marigolds, alyssum, perennials, herbs and vernalized perennials are some of the available varieties, along with trendy combination container planters and baskets. Master Gardeners will be available to help customize combinations for customers.

For about 14 weeks, the labor of transplanting, watering plants and filling soil trays has been shared by Master Gardeners and the agriculture students at the Southeast Charles H. Hutson Greenhouse on the university campus.

Collaboration between the two groups has enabled them to split the start-up cost and grow twice the number of plants.

Master Gardener Gayla Gunter said, "We are able to help the students learn, giving them the opportunity and exposure to working with different plants so they may learn production horticulture. They help us out with the labor required to grow these plants. Master Gardeners are taking the learning process a step even further, using the knowledge gained from this project to educate the public."

Denise Lankford-Pingel, Southeast campus horiculturist, said in the nine years she's worked at the greenhouse, she's never had this many varieties of plants. When the reality of outgrowing the greenhouse became a reality, Lankford-Pingel and the students hung plants from the rafters, built more benches and fit them wherever they could.

Lankford-Pingel said, "We really enjoyed working with all the Master Gardeners. I think it was a great learning experience for everyone."

Master Gardeners have contributed over $7,500 to the greenhouse over the last six years and are holding $1,400 from last year's sale to purchase a tag-printing machine for the greenhouse. Past proceeds from the Master Gardeners annual plant sale have benefited SEMO horticulture students with scholarships and contributions to the Southeast Greenhouse fund as well as other Cape Girardeau County organizations and projects.

The Master Gardeners Plant Sale will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday and from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at Arena Park Conservation Shelter.