Herb and Garden Faire

My ambitions as a gardener have always been very modest (and my abilities usually fall short), but I love gardens, garden stores, and nurseries. So I was a happy girl attending Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum’s Herb and Garden Faire for the first time (although it was the 23rd annual) on Friday, May 7. It was a brilliant spring day, and I had lots of company. In fact, by 9:30 a.m. the regular parking lot was full and they were parking cars wherever they could find space.

My first stop was the Heirloom Seed Project Marketplace, which featured more varieties of herbs, tomatoes, flowering plants, and veggies than I could count. The Heirloom Seed Project began in the mid-1980s with a focus on preserving seeds from traditional varieties of plants and making them available to modern gardeners who want to experience history first-hand. Museum staff and volunteers work hard to make sure they have a good supply of seeds and plants ready for Faire attendees to take home to their gardens.

(Sorry it's a little blurry...)

More than 80 outside vendors filled the site with plants, flowers, herbal foods and lotions, garden décor, and lots of other good stuff. There was music by Seasons, plus food and beverages by Hess’s Barbeque Catering, the Landis Valley Mennonite Church, and Express Café (not to mention ice cream, cold drinks, and soft pretzels at the Weathervane museum store). I didn’t get a chance to try the food (except for some yummy herbal breads I bought to take to a dinner party) because my time was limited but I will definitely plan ahead for next year.

If you visited the Faire this year (or have in past years) please leave a comment about your favorite part. Mark your calendars for next year—May 6 and 7, 2011—and check out Landis Valley’s website for more programs coming up this summer and fall.