Plant a garden fair on your calendar

Can you believe this weather? We’re barely into April, the flatlands are just about snow-free, and folks are already trying to burn off the dried grass and the neighbor’s garden. Gardeners are itching to get going on the annual spring clean up.

Be careful out there, will you? You can take care of that dry vegetation with a weed-whacker, a mulching lawn mower and a rake without risking the Fire Marshall’s wrath.

Apparently, we’ll have to find something to occupy those twitchy gardeners till it’s officially okay to garden. It looks like early May, and the tulips are already poking their heads above ground. But, it might dump several inches of snow right on top of the perennials once you’ve got the mulch raked off the beds.

May 9 and 10, the Alaska Master Gardener’s Conference and Garden Market at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel has a Garden Market free to the public with 20 vendors showcasing all the ‘must haves’ for your garden. Your Dirt Divas will be there with individual booths, so, be sure to say “hello.”

Guest speakers this year include International gardening experts and authors Cisco Morris, Larry Hodgson, and Sara Williams. Save by registering before April 25. Call 696-2015, or go to Alaskamastergardeners.org and click on the “In The Zone” link.

The folks at the Valley Garden Club are busy getting their plants ready for their annual plant sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 24 at Burchell High School in Wasilla.

This plant sale traditionally marks the start of the Valley gardening season. Shoppers can find everything from annuals, perennials, shrubs, garden art, and probably a group of folks willing to take surplus pots off your hands for next year’s sale. For more information, call 376-5390 or 745-4036.

Pencil in June 13 to 15 for Palmer’s Colony Days and don’t miss the landscaper’s market. With any luck it will be sunny and warm with absolutely none of that wind we usually get. Where else can you shop for plants and watch an old-fashioned parade at the same time?

The Alaska Botanical Garden Fair is worth the trip to Anchorage for a fun weekend of gardening activities for the family with music, food, garden art and plenty of plants to support any gardening addict’s habit. It rarely rains on this parade, but, bring your umbrella just in case on June 21 and 22.

Call 770-3692, or visit Alaskabg.org.

You don’t have to drive far to take in the Fourth Annual Art and Garden Festival at the State Fair grounds on July 19.

We’ll be in good hands this year with Sarah Cimino producing the show with plenty of nurseries and artists showcasing their wares. This year's featured speaker will be Cisco Morris, so if you missed him at the Master Gardeners Conference, you'll have another chance to see him work. We'll have workshops, things to eat, and those fabulous State Fair gardens to enjoy in our perfect mid-summer weather. Call 745-4827 or log onto Alaskastatefair.org.

July 19 and 20 will give any serious gardener total plant saturation with Les Brake’s Coyote Garden Tour.

A tour through Brake’s gardens is an annual learning experience. His Willow area garden pushes the hardiness zone envelope with plants from around the world. Check out the April issue of Horticulture Magazine to see his article on reconstructing his garden after a bad winter. Even the worst winter can throw at Brake will leave you envious of his failure. Call the Alaska Botanical Garden at 770-3692 or 495-6525.

With the price of fuel going sky high, Mat-Su Valley gardeners need to sponsor their own garden tours. For now you’ll have to be satisfied with the Anchorage Garden Club’s Annual City Garden Tour.

The map is published in that other paper, the Anchorage Daily News, but, it’s worth the trip to town. The formal tour starts at noon and runs to 5 p.m. on July 27. Just grab your map and go. City gardeners will be on hand to talk about their gardens and you’ll probably meet other Valley gardeners taking notes on the sly.

You can still do a drive-by any day if you’re armed with the map.

Pack a lunch and make a picnic at the Park Strip by the rose garden, or take a walk on the Tony Knowles’ Coastal Trail.

Still need something to keep you out of gardening trouble on a weekly basis?

Hit the Friday Flings market in downtown Palmer from May 16 through August 15. You’ll find plenty of fresh produce and plants from local farms and nurseries. Get a side order of funnel cakes, fried sugar and chocolate to rev up your metabolism so you can have the strength to put those new plants in the garden.

I’ll see you there.

Brooke Heppinstall, artist and gardener, is the owner of Wool Wood Studio & Gardens, an art studio and nursery specializing in Alaska-grown perennials and shrubs. Visit online at Woolwood.blogspot.com.