Gardening celebrity Ed Hume will dispense advice, sell his signature seed packets and sign his gardening books from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the annual Washington State University Horticulture Club’s Mom’s Weekend Plant Sale on Sunday, April 15.
Hume, who will be the club’s special guest, is host of “Gardening in America,” one of the longest running gardening shows in North America. His two-hour talk radio call-in show, “Ask the Expert,” is one of the most popular in the Puget Sound area. His latest book is “Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy.” Hume is also the author of the “Keep It Simple Series,” “Gardening with Ed Hume,” and the children’s book, “How to Plant a Bunch of Stuff.”
The sale runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Beasley Coliseum. The club’s offerings include a wide variety of annuals, geraniums, combination baskets and deck planters
“We’re really excited to have Ed at this year’s plant sale,” said Chris Hiles, Horticulture Club president. “We’ve been trying to get him over here for three years but his schedule is so busy that it just hasn’t worked out. This year it did, and we’re thrilled. Because this is a non-profit event, Ed generously offered to cut his standard lecture fee in half and split the profits from his book and seed sales. That means more money for scholarships.”
The Horticulture Club is an active fundraiser for various Pullman-based organizations as well as for WSU students. “Through our plant sales, we are able to give out many thousands of dollars in scholarships each year,” Hiles said. “The club donated over $900 to Pullman Child Welfare this year. We cultivate poinsettias for sale and donate some to local nursing homes. We also hold several workshops throughout the year, including one on flower arranging in the fall, which is open to students, faculty, and staff, and a Christmas center-piece workshop.”
“The Horticulture Club teaches students to produce commercial-quality plants,” added James Holden, the club’s faculty advisor.
The winner of numerous awards, in 2005 Hume was inducted into the Garden Writers Association Hall of Fame in recognition of a “life and career” which has “materially reflected and advanced the objectives” of the Association, according to the Association’s web site. Hume is also a Certified Professional Horticulturist and Master Gardener.
Founded in the 1890s, the WSU Horticulture Club is one of the oldest and largest student organizations at WSU. Currently, the club has 40 active members from many different majors. Students earn scholarship money in exchange for their work in the club which, among other things, involves transplanting the thousands of plants offered at the several sales the club holds throughout the year.
“The Mom’s Weekend sale is the big one we work toward all year,” said Hiles. “We’ll start work at 3:30 a.m. that morning. Along with members of the Agricultural Technology and Management Club, we’ll be hauling plants into the Beasley Coliseum Concourse until about 7 a.m., when we’ll take a quick breakfast break.”
Upcoming Horticulture Club events, including sales and workshops, are listed on the club web site at http://www.hortla.wsu.edu/hortclub/.
