Maine Garden + Marketplace, Brick South, Thompso’s Point, Portland. Admission: $17, $12, for Seniors and Veterans.
A Display by Skillins Greenhouses at the Marketplace. The Nursery began in 1885 is Now Run by the Fifth Generation of the Skillins Family. It is One of the Two Sponsors of the Marketplace.
Broadway Gardens is One of the two Sponsors of the Marketplace. Above are Regal Geraniums for Sale at the Marketplace. Pansies are Also for Sale at the Booth.
Mark Faunce, Chair of the Show with Donald F. Sproul, Executive Director of Maine Landscape & Nursery Association, Show Hosts.
“This year’s show is different from previous years,” said Mark Faunce, chair of the Maine Garden + Marketplace, this afternoon as final preparations were underway at Brick South, Thompson’s Point where the Marketplace starts tomorrow. The show opens Friday, March 25 and runs through Sunday, March 27th.
“For this year only, it’s a retail consumer event. We don’t have any garden displays, but there are lots of gradening supplies, tools, outdoor plants, seeds, bulbs, ice cream, fudge and landscapers with free landscape advice,” said Faunce. Something for everyone in the 60 booths at the Marketplace.
“We wanted to make sure the Marketplace is manageable without disappointing the public. We want to respect the idea of social distancing so a smaller event with less involvement was deemed appropriate,” said Jason Shiers, owner of Lakeside Nursery, in Norway and one of the organizers of the Marketplace.
Planning for a Flower Show begins many months ahead to be sure that the flowers and plants are in bloom at the Show. It was not possible to determine last year whether pandemic restrictions would permit a full show as MELNA has produced three previous years before the pandemic pause for the past two years.
Maine Audubon, Falmouth, hosts one of the 60 booths in the Marketplace. Eric Topper, Director of Education, said that many people buy plants from nurseries that are from away and so there is no connection to wildlife. The 10,000 member/supporter non-profit is helping to restore milkweed because it is helpful to monarch butterflies. Maine Audubon is also encouraging the growth of Beach Plums – a tree or large shrub that is threatened in Maine. “It is beautiful and beneficial,” said Topper. Its “Native Plants Festival & Sale” will be held on Saturday, June 11 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm at Gilsland Farm, Falmouth.
Limited on site parking is available for those who attend the show. It’s on a first come, first served basis. There are 400 spaces on site. Faunce recommends the public against coming early in the day because that is when the Marketplace is most crowded. He recommends that attendees visit in the afternoon – between 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm. It is anticipated that more on-site parking spaces will be available then.
The Marketplace hours are Friday from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm; Saturday from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm and on Sunday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
“We will return next year in full bloom. But we decided something was bettter than nothing this year,” said Faunce.