By Laura Allen
N.C. Cooperative Extension

It’s the perfect time of the year to think about your landscape and the approaching holidays. Rowan County 4-H has two fundraisers going on now as you prepare for the coming months.

4-H Plant Sale

Fall is the best time to add to your home landscape. Are you interested in adding fruiting plants or trees to your yard or farm? If so, purchase them from Rowan County 4-H. You’ll be purchasing quality plants that grow well in our area, plus you are financially supporting our local 4-H program.

The 4-H Plant Sale began on Sept. 3 and we are accepting orders until Thursday, Oct. 31. This is a pre-order only sale and we have limited inventory available for each item. Do not delay or your favorite plants will be gone.

We are selling several varieties of the following plants: bunch grape, blueberry, blackberry, muscadine, fig, raspberry, mulberry, goji berry, pomegranate, elderberry, persimmon (American & Japanese), apple, peach, pear, plum, pecan. For a full list of plant varieties and descriptions and their prices, go to https://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/09/rowan-county-4-h-plant-sale-2024/.

To order, call 704-216-8970. Our office is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Once you order, we are requesting that you send in your payment prior to pick up to increase efficiency on the day of plant pick up. We can only accept exact cash or checks. Please make checks payable to CES.

Plant pick up will be on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Rowan County Cooperative Extension office.

If you have specific questions about the plants available for purchase, please contact our office to speak with a horticulture extension agent.

4-H Wreath Sale

The 4-H Wreath Sale fundraiser is an annual event to help raise funds for our 4-H clubs in the county. Currently, we have seven 4-H clubs that are open to youth ages 5-18. This fundraiser is led by our 501(c)(3), Rowan County 4-H PALS.

We have various shapes and sizes of wreaths and garland available for purchase. All items are grown and made at a small, family-owned Christmas tree farm in Alleghany County and are beautiful and fragrant. Items are made out of Fraser fir, boxwood and/or pine, depending on the item ordered.

Orders must be submitted no later than Tuesday, Oct. 29. Pick up is Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Once you order, we are requesting that you send in your payment prior to pickup. We can only accept exact cash or checks. Please note that for the wreath sale, checks should be made to Rowan County 4-H PALS.

This year, our pickup date is the week prior to Thanksgiving, so you will have your wreaths in time to decorate before or after the Thanksgiving holiday.

To keep your greenery fresh for as long as possible, make sure to soak it overnight in a tub full of cool water on the day you pick it up. Keep it in a cool location until you hang it. Purchase an empty spray bottle and fill it with cold water and spray your greenery every day. If possible, keeping it out of sunlight or away from heat vents helps to prolong life as well. In the past, some customers have said that their wreaths lasted until February or March, so it is definitely possible to keep your greenery fresh through the holidays.

All information & the registration link can be found at https://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/09/4-h-wreath-sale2024/. Orders must be placed at go.ncsu.edu/2024rowan4hwreathsale or you can call our office at 704-216-8970.

Thanks for your support of Rowan County 4-H!

4-H is the youth development component of Cooperative Extension. Any youths ages 5-18 (as of January 1) are invited to enroll and participate in 4-H. Visit us at 2727-A Old Concord Road Salisbury, NC 28146 or rowan.ces.ncsu.edu. For questions or more information, contact 704-216-8970 or laura_allen@ncsu.edu.

Laura Allen is the 4-H Extension agent with the Rowan County Extension.