Hilo Orchid Show Features Master Gardeners

Volunteers from the East Hawaiʻi Island Master Gardener Program will be at the Hilo Orchid Society annual show and sale to answer questions and assist home gardeners with horticultural and gardening information.

Interns of the 2018 East Hawai‘i Master Gardener Class will be available to help. Courtesy photo.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa trained master gardeners and interns will be available on Friday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, July 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will also be offering fruit flytrapping kits and vegetable seeds developed by the UH Cooperative Extension Service. Donations of $2 for the fruit fly kits and $1 for the seed packets will be accepted.

There will be a sign-up sheet at the information booth for those wishing to be notified about 2019 master gardener classes.

The orchid show and sale, the largest and most comprehensive in the state, will be held July 13 to 15, in the Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium in Hilo. It will feature displays of thousands of orchids, food, Hawaiian music, lectures and demonstrations and a silent auction.

The Hilo-based program that is part of the certified program master gardener program recognized nationwide and in Canada. East Hawai‘i master gardeners are dedicated volunteers trained in horticultural education and sustainable practices by UH Mānoa’s Cooperative Extension Service in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

Learn more about the East Hawai‘i Master Gardener Program online.