The Gloucester Extension Master Gardeners’ Annual Plant Extravaganza, held last Friday and Saturday, was a success because of the hard work and long hours contributed by Master Gardeners, interns, and trainees, but especially because of the leadership of Bob Beyea, who has held this tough job for the last eight years. I think Bob deserves a rest. Master Gardener Coordinator Rose Sullivan, the hardest-working person I know, put in an uncountable number of hours, making sure that plant labels were accurate and all of the plants were placed in the proper category. Our earnings from the Plant Extravaganza allow us to present two $1,000 scholarships annually to Gloucester High School seniors and five $100 4-H Camp scholarships for young people.
This was our 23rd Plant Extravaganza. My first experience was in 2012, and our selection of plants was very different from this year’s. We were just beginning to use the term “native plants,” which we commonly referred to as “wildflowers” or “weeds,”...