Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association to host annual GardenFest at Belle Grove Plantation on Saturday, June 5

The Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association will hold its annual GardenFest on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, Virginia. The event begins at 8:00 a.m. sharp and will continue until 3:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Tours of Belle Grove’s historic Manor House will be $5 for visitors 12 and older and offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Master Gardeners will also give free guided tours of Belle Grove’s Teaching Garden.

GardenFest 2019 (photo by David Look)

The highlight of GardenFest is the VCE Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale. This annual fundraiser supports the educational programs offered by the Master Gardeners throughout the year. The plant sale area will be doubled so there is ample space to safely shop. All plants will be priced at $5 and a list of plants for sale will be shared at Facebook.com/NSVMGA later this month. More information for those and former years’ plants, may be found online. Cash and credit cards are accepted. The plant sale is a great place to find Shenandoah Valley & Virginia native plants, plants for beneficial pollinators, unique trees and shrubs, as well as vegetables and herbs. Garden wagons will be available to transport purchased plants to vehicles and Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions about plants and gardening.

Vendor speaking with a customer at the 2019 GardenFest (photo by Suzanne Boag)

Throughout the day, VCE Master Gardener education booths, unique vendors, informative non-profits, wildlife rescues, children’s activities, and “Secondhand Rose,” a Rummage sale for gardening and household items will be available.

Food and beverage vending will be provided by the Frederick County 4-H Eggs n’ Ears selling pre-package snacks. Vendor booths include: Blue Ridge Gardens, Candy’s Soap & Sea Bath, Hill House Farm & Nursery, Native Perennials, Poverty Ridge Alpacas, Seven Bends Nursery, West Virginia Broom Barn; as well as non-profits: North Mountain Rescue, Valley Wildlife Care, Virginia Gourd Society, Virginia Master Naturalists.

Children’s activities will include herb-scented clay, scent-matching games, the opportunity to grow plant people and plants, as well as educational information on Spotted Lanternfly.

Master Gardener Cathy Dickey speaks with GardenFest customers about plant care (photo by Stacey Morgan Smith)

“After a year away from face-to-face interaction with our communities, GardenFest is the perfect opportunity for us to get together with them again. Our volunteers work all year for this event because we know how much people enjoy attending, and we are looking forward to answering gardening questions and talking about our program in person,” said Stacey Smith, the Master Gardeners’ unit Volunteer Coordinator.

ABOUT NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION (NSVMGA)

The Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association supports its members—Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers serving the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren. VCE Master Gardener Volunteers are educators who work within their communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management, education, and training. They continue their education each year to stay up to date on current issues and recommendations for home gardeners. Since 1993, they have coordinated educational events, projects, help desks and info booths, and gardening speakers throughout NSVMGA’s five-county area. They also teach horticulture to children, through a Junior Master Gardener Program and an annual memorial scholarship to area high-school students. GardenFest is the major fundraiser for NSVMGA. More information is available at nsvmga.org or facebook.com/NSVMGA/.

ABOUT BELLE GROVE

Belle Grove Plantation is a non-profit historic house museum that is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site and a partner in Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. Its grounds and gardens were designed and donated by The Garden Club of Virginia and are tended by dedicated volunteers with guidance from the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners. Belle Grove’s Teaching Garden contains useful and beautiful plants typical of those used by the Hite family in the early 19th century and it will be available for touring during GardenFest. Belle Grove is located off Route 11 at 336 Belle Grove Road south of Middletown, Virginia (exit 302 on I-81, one exit north of the I-66 interchange). More information is available at bellegrove.org or facebook.com/bellegrove.