For immediate release                       

April 29, 2026

MOUNT VERNON – A longtime community launch for the spring plant season is coming up soon when the 32^ndannual Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation (SCMGF) Plant Fair fills the Skagit County Fairgrounds on Mother’s Day weekend.

Gardeners across the region count on the Plant Fair as a local celebration of spring and gardening where they can purchase quality plants and look forward to gathering inspiration for the coming growing season. The Plant Fair will feature more than 10,000 plants for sale, all propagated, grown, or tended for success in local gardens by master gardener volunteers.

The annual event is set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Skagit County Fairgrounds. Admission and parking are free. Main event access is at the south end of the fairgrounds at 501 W. Taylor Street, Mount Vernon.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a wagon or wheelbarrow to help transport their selections. Boxes are available at the site, and customers can leave purchased plants at a free plant parking lot monitored by volunteers. The event will feature more than 60 vendors and an ATM will be available on site.

“The master gardener volunteers work all year to prepare for this Plant Fair, carefully planting, propagating, and providing tender loving care to thousands of plants,” said Master Gardener Claire Cotnoir, who, along with her husband and fellow Master Gardener Hank Davies, co-chairs the Plant Fair. “Bring a wagon and a shopping list, and our enthusiastic volunteers will be ready to serve the home gardeners of our community with plant sales, educational opportunities, and a full day dedicated to the joy of gardening.”

Dozens of master gardener volunteers will be deployed throughout the fairgrounds and available to assist customers. You will recognize the volunteers in a variety of ways. Many join in the annual hat decorating contest that this year features the theme “I love veggies.” Others sport colorful aprons, scarves, and buttons. Many will also be wearing official master gardener T-shirts in crimson or black.

All of the tomatoes – more than 3,700 plants – available at the Plant Fair are grown from seed by volunteer master gardeners. The 54 main varieties of tomatoes are chosen because they are ideal for our climate and produce delicious, quality fruit. As usual, expect limited quantities of a few rare and special varieties as well.

Master gardeners Barb and Ron Edman are heading up the tomato operation this year, with growing help from 35 master gardeners and 11 interns. “It’s a big effort and time commitment by the master gardeners to get these tomatoes started in February in their homes, greenhouses, and garages,” Barb Edman said. “The support of the community at Plant Fair really fuels the energy and love for gardening within every master gardener who grows for us.”

In addition to tomatoes, the Plant Fair offers thousands of annual and perennial plants for sale, including vegetables, herbs, flowers, shrubs, trees, berries, and native plant varieties.

The plant house team has spent the past year propagating and tending many favorite perennials including peonies, ferns, brunnera, lithodora, hostas, hardy fuchsias, grapes, and figs. Plants are sorted by shade, sun, native, and other categories that the home gardener may seek. Customers will also find unique pots filled with succulents, perfect for Mother’s Day gifts.

“The master gardeners who work year-round in the plant house have a passion for growing healthy, quality, and beautiful plants to bring for sale at the Plant Fair,” said longtime master gardener Laurie Johnson, who leads the team along with master gardener Jessamyn Tuttle. “Each year, we listen to our customers and make sure we bring supplies of their favorite perennials and native plants.”

The greenhouse team has been providing daily care to annuals, herbs, and vegetable starts since late winter. Highlights include the ever-popular sunflowers, basil, and coleus, along with sweet peas grown from seed from The Farmhouse Flower Farm in Stanwood, zinnias, and dahlias grown from seed from Floret Flower Farm in Mount Vernon. Hanging baskets and pots combining several varieties of coleus are available.

“The master gardener greenhouse team has been busy caring for these plants every day so that our customers will receive the very best quality for their garden,” said longtime master gardener Karen Bruce, who oversees the greenhouse with fellow master gardener Debbie Lassiter. “We look forward to helping gardeners select plants that will provide color and beauty to their landscapes and raised beds.”

In addition to plant sales, the Plant Fair will feature:

• More than 60 vendors will offer garden accessories, gifts, plants, garden art, and hand-crafted items. five food trucks will be on site, ranging from coffee and shaved ice to full meals, plus booths with packaged treats.
• Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners will host a CommunityOutreach, Education, and Information Booth where guests can get answers to general gardening questions and learn more about the master gardener program, the program’s nine priorities, the new WSU Green School, and how to apply to become a master gardener.
• For those with specific questions about a plant problem, the Plant Clinic will provide the opportunity to discuss it with the master gardener team. Bring a sample or photos to share to help with the diagnosis of a potential plant issue.
• Buying tomatoes at Plant Fair? Make your way to see the “Tomato Answer Man,” also known as master gardener Denny Organ, at a booth just outside the tomato sales barn from 8 a.m. to noon. Organ, a longtime master gardener, will focus on answering tomato-growing questions to support local home gardeners’ success in the coming growing season. The booth will showcase sample pots, grow bags, fertilizers, cages, tools, and plants. Organ will demonstrate planting and pruning techniques along with tips for watering, soil, and the importance of location, weather, and typical issues experienced in the Skagit County climate.
• Learn more about pollinators and the plants they love at a booth in the plant pavilion. Pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps, and birds. The booth will feature sample pollinator plants, educational materials, and an introduction to pollinator syndromes, which will assist customers in identifying the plants by color, shape, odor, bloom time, and the nectar or pollen that attract different categories of pollinators to the garden. Many plants preferred by pollinators will be available for sale in the pavilion.
• Master gardeners will offer free tool sharpening, with a limit of two tools per customer, in the plant pavilion.
• The popular Emporium, located in the pavilion, will offer gently used gardening books, gardening tools, garden art, and accessories.

The annual SCMG Plant Fair is the primary fund-raising event run by the SCMGF. Proceeds enable the foundation to support master gardener outreach, events, education, and activities. Beyond fundraising, the Plant Fair builds community awareness of the master gardener program, encourages community participation in gardening and growing local food, and inspires people to become master gardener volunteers.

About Skagit County Master Gardeners:

Who we are: Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who work in partnership with WSU Extension to educate the public and enhance the quality of life in the community by promoting sound gardening practices.

What we do: As trained and certified members of a volunteer program of Washington State University Extension, Master Gardeners assist Extension in providing information to home gardeners about sound and sustainable gardening practices. This includes integrated pest management, efficient watering technologies, recycling of garden waste, and cultural methods for preventing and treating plant disease.

About the Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation (SCMGF):

SCMGF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports and promotes the Washington State University (WSU) Extension Master Gardener (MG) program in Skagit County. SCMGF is a member of the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State (MGFWS). The SCMGF mission, in partnership with WSU Extension, is to support Skagit County home gardeners by promoting science-based gardening practices and education.

Access to Mount Vernon via State Route 536 (Memorial Highway): Starting in May, a state Department of Transportation project will result in the full closure of SR536 to non-emergency vehicles eastbound over the Skagit River bridge. All eastbound passenger and freight vehicles must follow a signed detour.