MUSCATINE, Iowa–With many gardeners itching to get new plants in the ground, the Spring Plant and Bake Sale could not come at a better time. A collaboration between the Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society (CVIDS), the Muscatine County Master Gardeners, the Muscatine Garden Club, and the Stampeding Clovers 4-H Club, this annual event helps all of these organizations continue to provide learning opportunities for their members and the community each year.
On May 6 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the large pavilion in Discovery Park (3300 Cedar Street in Muscatine), The Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society, Master Gardeners, and Garden Club will have an impressive selection of plants for sale, including various perennials, numerous types of irises and daylilies, and even plants suitable for indoors. Mainly easy to grow plants with simple upkeep requirements, they will make strong additions to existing gardens or good foundations for new plantings. To complement the plants, the 4-H members will sell baked goods sure to delight all who try them. To help shoppers find the sale, organizers will place directional signs throughout the park to help guide them. Plants will have color codes to indicate their prices, which sellers will conveniently display on large posters for ease of shopping. Each organization will have volunteers available to answer any questions people have about the plants.
Members of the Stampeding Clovers 4-H Club will sell baked goods at the upcoming Spring Plant and Bake Sale May 6 at Discovery Park. Photo Courtesy Stampeding Clovers 4-H Club.
An important sale for all of the groups participating, the proceeds from it go towards many good causes. The Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society will use what they raise to continue providing educational opportunities for their members, including helping host a conference with the American Daylily Society at the Merrill Hotel this summer. The Muscatine Garden Club will put their earnings towards continued maintenance for their gardens in Weed Park, most notably their Plant it Pink Garden, as well as to continue planting trees in several locations, especially the Muscatine Arboretum. The Master Gardeners will continue to fund their Emma Mae Pruitt scholarship. All of the profit from the bake sale will help the 4-H students cover the costs of entering into the Muscatine County and Iowa State Fairs.
With spring in full swing and the time to get planting drawing near, Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society Member Valarie Moeller would love to see a large turnout at the sale. “Plants are essential to everyone,” she said, noting that they beautify homes and gardens, provide an opportunity for people to nurture living things, and even create oxygen. “They’ll brighten our day, and they make us happy people,” she added.
