Southport Magazine

By Carol Pearson

(photos courtesy of Brunswick County Cooperative Extension)

Gardeners, get ready! The Brunswick County Master Gardener Volunteer Association (BCMGVA) annual Propagation Plant Sale returns Friday, May 14 to the Brunswick County Botanical Garden in Bolivia. After a year’s hiatus, these local gardening gurus are ready to share their wisdom, their experience … and their beautiful plants. 

For gardeners like me and my neighbors — transplanted from the North and at a loss for how to garden successfully on Oak Island — the sale is sure to be a game changer.

According to Krys Ochota, Horticulture Program Assistant with the Brunswick County Cooperative Extension office, the BCEMGVA Propagation Sale will offer a variety of perennials, annuals, vegetables and herbs, all propagated by local Master Gardeners and suitable for local conditions. 

“We grow these plants [for the sale] from seeds, cuttings or division ourselves,” Ochota said. “Some plants were propagated from the BC Botanical Garden or our home gardens.”

The BCEMGVA is a network of passionate local gardeners who are dedicated to learning and sharing what they know about horticulture, and is an essential extension of the NC State Cooperative Extension program. Local gardening enthusiasts who are interested in becoming a volunteer can learn more at the sale about how to apply for the program; this year’s application deadline is August 1. The program is truly a botanical lifeline for people who want to create beautiful gardens in our challenging coastal climate. 

“Brunswick County is one of the fastest growing counties in North Carolina, with most folks moving in from locations north of here, including northern NC, the Northeast, Midwest, and western locales,” Ochota said. “Aside from the subtropical climate, the soils, insect/disease pressure, what grows here can be quite different from what folks have been used to.”

Ochota knows the challenges firsthand. She explained that she always kept a garden up north, and had to learn all about gardening in the coastal plain after retiring from private industry six years ago.

“After moving here, I finally had the time to engage with Extension Master Gardener ^SM Volunteers,” she explained.  “I went through Cooperative Extension’s intensive training class, engaged in continuing education through Cooperative Extension, worked through numerous volunteer leadership roles and eventually was hired by Cooperative Extension as the Program Assistant and Master Gardener ^SM Volunteer Coordinator for Brunswick County.  THIS is  my ‘retirement dream job’!”

In her own gardens, Ochota is partial to fragrant gardenias and colorful azaleas. She is also committed to planting pollinators and native plants that serve as host plants for butterflies. 

“Most folks don’t realize that butterflies will nectar on just about any flower, but they will only complete the life cycle on specific host plants, like passion flower vine for Gulf Fritillaries, or milkweed for Monarchs,” she said. She also like growing tomatoes, peppers and herbs. 

Helping other “transplants” with their new gardening endeavors is a big part of what she does, and she welcomes anyone interested to visit the Brunswick County Botanical Garden.

“I love working with the Master Gardeners and seeing their fantastic ideas and the results of their hard work in our Brunswick County Botanical Garden,” Ochota said. “This garden is meant to be a ‘demonstration’ or educational garden for homeowners to come visit year round and see what grows here. There are 14 themed areas of the garden so visitors get a real sense of what the possibilities are.”

The Brunswick County Master Gardener ^SM Volunteer Association is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit. While the ultimate responsibility for the North Carolina EMGV program rests with the Extension faculty and staff in each county, EMGV associations like this one are vital partners, providing much-needed financial support, advocacy, and educational opportunities for volunteers and staff.

“Through phone, email, and in-person visits, there’s not one single day where I don’t help someone with knowing what to plant, how to take care of it, or address problems in the landscape,” she said. “I also love to teach and facilitate classes for homeowners and garden clubs — I get the biggest kick out of seeing or hearing the ‘a-hah!’ moments.”

The team at the NC State Cooperative Extension, Brunswick County are available to help you, your group, or your community with your plant, pest, weed, turfgrass, and pesticide questions and problems.

“We provide a multitude of resources for the home gardener, whether you’ve been here one week or 10 years,” Ochota said. “NC State University is NC’s public land-grant research-based university, and as an extension of that, the Consumer Horticulture team of the Brunswick County Cooperative Extension provides research based advice to consumers.”

The Brunswick County Botanical Garden, where the May 14 sale will be held, is located adjacent to Building N at the Brunswick Government Center, 25 Referendum Drive in Bolivia.

Visit www.bcmgva.org beginning May 3 to learn about the plants being offered for sale and to schedule an appointment to shop the sale. For the health and safety of the plant sale attendees and Master Gardener volunteers, participants will need to wear masks and schedule an appointment to shop between 9 and 10:30 am. After 10:30 am, a limited number of shoppers will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. 

So how does your garden grow? With the good advice and beautiful plants from these local horticulture experts, you’ll be able to answer “beautifully.” 

For more information on any of the topics above, call Krystyna Ochota at the NC Brunswick County Cooperative Extension Office at 910-253-2595, Monday – Friday from 8 am-2 pm or email her at kochota@ncsu.edu, or Horticulture Agent Tom Woods tlwoods@ncsu.edu.