SEQUIM –– Sharing in the celebration of Ireland’s patron Saint Patrick this weekend will be hundreds of green thumbs looking over the spring offerings of the 15th annual Soroptimist Gala Garden Show.
Tulips, trowels and tomatoes will fill the Sequim unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula at 400 W. Fir St. for the North Olympic Peninsula’s largest garden show, hosted by Soroptimist International of Sequim, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Proceeds from the $5 daily admission go to the Soroptimists’ scholarship and awards program.
Admission is free for those 12 and younger.
More than 60 exhibitors
Soroptimists Linda Klinefelter and Kathy Purcell said more than 60 vendors and exhibitors have signed up to offer a dazzling display of seeds, plants, soil, fountains and everything else a garden needs to grow.
The Master Gardeners of Clallam County will share their local gardening knowledge and showcase many of the crops grown at the organization’s 3-acre garden on Woodcock Road.
Expert discussions on landscaping and planting local crops year-round — even gardening with lasagna — will be held during the two-day event.
The artwork of artist Lynn Baritelle also will be featured.
Breakfast and lunch will be served beside and beneath the green tendrils of the plant show’s exhibits in the Garden Cafe inside the gala, with a healthy menu planned by local dietitian Dr. Monica Dixon.
The Sequim Centennial Committee will have a booth at the show to offer attendees a chance to hand-paint 6-inch-by-6-inch tiles that will be incorporated into a public art display in recognition of the city’s century. The cost of $10 per tile includes all supplies and glazing.
Dozens of items will be raffled to add to the Soroptimists’ fund.
In 2012, Soroptimist International of Sequim distributed more than $12,000 to local students, philanthropists and charity organizations, Klinefelter said.
Seminar schedule
Sunday afternoon’s featured speaker will be Linda Gilkeson, organic gardening author and Master Gardener from Salt Spring Island, B.C.
Gilkeson, speaking at 1:30 p.m., will offer tips on how to keep gardens producing year-round, including planting schedules and how to grow winter crops in a summer garden.
Larry “Lasagna” Lang will encore his popular presentation on how to layer newspaper, cardboard and other material beneath a garden to help it grow while also helping gardeners cut down their work with his “Lasagna Gardening” presentation at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Clallam County Master Gardener Judy English will moderate a three-person expert panel that will answer questions on landscaping and gardening.
Peninsula gardening experts Matthew Berberich of Port Townsend, Neil Burkhardt of Sequim and Gordon Clark of Port Angeles will lend their knowledge of growing conditions in each area.
Other speakers Saturday will be Rita Dinger, 2010 Clallam County Master Gardener of the Year, with “Lemon-Scented Flowers and Herbs” at 10 a.m.; Selinda Barkhuis of Port Angeles, Clallam County treasurer, with “Gardening for Hummingbirds” at 11 a.m.; Jeanette Stehr-Green, 2012 Master Gardener of the Year, with “Strawberry Fields Forever” at 2 p.m.; and retired genetics professor Muriel Nesbitt, Master Gardener and who has a doctorate, with “The Sex Life of Potatoes” at 3 p.m.
For more information about the garden show, visit www.sequimgardenshow.com.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.
