Heirloom flowers for sale at historic Oliver House in Jackson

The public is invited to benefit from heirloom plants at a sale held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Oliver House, 224 E. Adams St., Jackson.

Heirloom flowers springing up at the Oliver House in "Marie's Garden," were planted by Cape County Master Gardeners for former resident Marie Oliver, the designer of Missouri's state flag, accepted in 1913.

The Master Gardeners formed a 2005 partnership with the Jackson Heritage Association to develop the gardens. Among the more than 35 varieties of available heirloom plants available, some of the more romantically named include love-in-a-mist, love-lies-bleeding and maiden's feather vine. Herbs will also be for sale.

A five-year restoration project of the Oliver House gardens is funded by a $2,500 "Good Neighbor" grant from State Farm insurance companies.

The flowers planted on the Oliver House property were grown in the Southeast Missouri State University greenhouses under the direction of Denise Pingel. She is the coordinator of a new partnership between Master Gardeners and Southeast horticulture students, instrumental in growing plants to provide for the recent, successful Master Gardener's plant sale at Arena Park.