Master Gardener Herb and Flower Festival returning to Oriskany. What to see, learn and smell

From Staff Reports
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The Oneida County Master Gardener’s Herb and Flower Festival is from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 18 at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oriskany.
The Oneida County Master Gardener’s Herb and Flower Festival is from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 18 at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oriskany.

The Oneida County Master Gardener’s Herb and Flower Festival returns Saturday, June 18 to Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oriskany, featuring garden-related vendors, walks in the Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens, great food and excellent advice at the Master Gardener’s booth.

Free workshops include:

10 a.m.: "The Herbal Chef" with Master Gardener volunteers Linda Sturtevant and Pat Miller. They will reveal the best herbs to use in favorite dishes, the best parts of the herb to use and whether wild herbs are OK for cooking.

11 a.m.: "Houseplants Are Trendy" with Lisa Ballantyne, owner and manager of Ballantyne Gardens. Ballantyne will show how to care for houseplants and how to transition plants from outside back inside this fall.

Noon: "The Buzz About Native Plants" with Master Gardener volunteer Bruce Mero. The workshop looks at native plants with a discussion of the many attributes of the plants that have evolved in this region.

1 p.m.:  "A Great Escape in Your Own Backyard" with Natalie Carmolli, keynote speaker and Proven Winners representative. Carmolli will discuss creating a private escape in your own backyard, which has become a sought-after remedy to the chaos of the outside world.

All classes are in rooms B and C. Participants can be entered for a chance to win a vendor prize.

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The Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens house a plethora of educational gardens. There are extensive herb gardens, perennial gardens filled with daylilies and flowering perennial shrubs, the rose trellises, water garden, fairy garden, butterfly house, the All-American Selection gardens, the dahlia gardens and the Hosta linear bed.

There will be food vendors and delicious herbal pastries and ice cream sandwiches. Lunchtime seating is in the pavilion and the new pergola amid the gardens.

The Master Gardener booth offers specific advice for plant questions, pamphlets on various topics and free garden seeds. The nature trail holds a delightful walk in the woods with many plants identified. A Garden Scavenger Hunt filled with educational gardening information is planned for children and adults, with a chance to win a prize from the Master Gardener booth.

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The Oneida County Master Gardener’s Herb and Flower Festival is from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 18 at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 121 Second St. in Oriskany. Admission to the festival is $4 or free for children 12 and younger.

Parking is available at nearby Met Life parking areas with shuttle buses to the festival. Handicap parking is available at the Cornell Cooperative Extension if needed. Due to the closing of the bridge from Route 840, approaching from Sutcliff Road off Route 233 is the most accessible, but otherwise, follow the detour signs for Route 840.

For more information, contact Holly Wise by calling 315-736-3394, ext. 125 or emailing hlw2@cornell.edu.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Herb and Flower Festival features tours, workshops & vendors in Oriskany