Fayette’s MGV Sponsor a Pot Program Grew in 2019

Dec. 31, 2019
Flowerpots are readied for sponsors.

          The Fayette County Master Gardener Volunteer (FCMGV) Sponsor a Pot (SAP) Program is a community beautification program. Individuals, groups, and businesses sponsor the program. Each sponsor has a plaque in a container somewhere in the city. This year we have 77 sponsorships from 67 sponsors. This is up from 63 sponsors in 2018. Fayette County Travel and Tourism provides a grant to support the project.

          This year we expanded to Market Street. There are 83 containers planted including two concrete containers at the Veteran’s Park and a large concrete container in the parking lot near the Veteran’s Park. The FCMGVs had enough sponsorships to purchase the flowers, soil, mulch, and amendments for The Point, the Sharp Fountain, and the three-tiered Veteran’s Park fountain. We affectionately call the three-tiered fountain, ‘The Birthday Cake’.

          The goal of SAP is to place three styles of pots in two sizes together for maximum impact. Currently, we use tropical hibiscus or canna, whopper begonias, bubblegum petunias, and marguerite sweet potatoes in our Style 1 containers. Style 2 has pentas and cranberry sizzle geraniums. Style 3 has sunrise rose lantana. We have added a spike to this style this year to add height.  

          The SAP committee is responsible for soliciting sponsorships, choosing the plants, planting design, scheduling planting, container placement, maintaining the containers, placing the plaques, and fertilizing weekly. 

          The City of Washington CH, McClish’s Plants Plus Greenhouse, and Washington City Schools provide help planting, watering, and moving the containers to the street. The containers make it to the streets around Memorial Day. They stay on the street through the Scarecrow festival in September.

          It is great to have the support of so many groups, individuals, businesses, and public entities to make this happen. We could not do it without amazing community support.

Written by Sara Creamer

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