March 30, 2005
Spring garden ideas take root at Habitat show
Habitat for Humanity holds annual Flower and Garden Show at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center
By
Herald staff writer
Spring was in full bloom at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center this past weekend for the Habitat for Humanity annual Flower and Garden Show.
The event, featuring more than 40 vendors, drew gardeners and those just yearning for a splash of summer color.
"My favorite part is the smell. It just smells like spring," said Scott Russell of Bear Lake.
"I like the actual garden setups. They give me good ideas," said his wife Kim, who looks forward to the show each year.
Linda Keely, owner of Flowers by Linda, made it possible for patrons to take home a hint of spring with them.
"I brought 125 bunches of daffodils, 40 bunches of tulips and a variety of other flowers. They have been selling really well," said Keely, who runs her business from her home in Old Mission.
"I've been coming to the Flower and Garden Show for four years. I just love to be surrounded by all of the beautiful flowers," said Keely, noting that as a big supporter of Habitat for Humanity, she contributes 10 percent of her profit from the show to the organization.
In addition to cut flowers, several nurseries had bulbs and plants available for an early start on this year's garden. With more than flowers required to make a garden grow, the Michigan State University master gardener program and the Grand Traverse Conservation District offered gardening tips. Several booths were set up featuring gardening supplies and landscaping products.
"We've had a lot of interest in our new products," said Brad Morgan of Morgan Composting located in Evert.
"We make compost from dairy manure and are now introducing it in a bagged form. It has been popular with farmers and now we are trying to get into the landscaping market," said Morgan, who will sell his product through Barker Creek and Four Seasons nurseries.
For those with an interest in naturalized gardening, the Habitat Discovery Center provided information on attracting birds by planting a variety of native plants.
"The Habitat Discovery Center is about saving birds through habitat," said volunteer Jennie Gott.
"If you want to bring beautiful birds into your yard, you need to provide food, shelter and water. It is more important than ever that we provide the birds with a friendly habitat because of the loss of their natural habitat through housing development and land clearing," Gott said.
While most visitors to the Flower and Garden Show took home gardening tips or a new plant to add to their garden, a few took home something unexpected - a dog.
AC Paws, a Grand Traverse area pet adoption program, participated in the show for the first time this year.