FINAL FOCUS

22nd Annual Plant Sale and Expo

By Cory Sekine-Pettite

Apparently, we’ve all become “plant parents,” as a friend of mine likes to say. Since the pandemic started, Americans have gone houseplant mad. According to industry statistics, the U.S. plant and flower growing industry has grown to nearly $16 billion, up from $14 billion just two years ago. That’s a lot of ficuses and ferns!

As industry publication Nursery Management noted in May of last year, “It’s no surprise that garden centers saw stellar sales in their houseplant departments during 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic had customers spending more time at home. Building on the momentum driven by plant parents, biophilic design trends and plant collectors, the houseplant craze was driven to new heights …”

Personally, I have nothing resembling a green thumb; I have killed every plant I’ve ever tried to adopt. But if you do have a green thumb, or if you’re houseplant curious, there’s an event coming up in April that you don’t want to miss. The Cobb County Master Gardeners’ 22nd Annual Plant Sale and Expo takes place at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta from April 15-16, with more than 90 vendors and a variety of activities for kids, including face painting, potting a plant to take home, and coloring. The gates will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., so go and check out the variety of plants, as well as the garden tools, accessories, yard art and more that you’ll need/want to feed your new hobby.

I may make my way there as well. Perhaps I can secure a nice air plant or small cactus for my home. The less maintenance required, the better off those plants would be under my care. Hey, know your own strengths, right? n

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