| |
|
| West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass presents Hillbilly Daylilies owner Lisa Giles with a check for $4,047 for a research project to improve cultivation and marketing of daylilies at the 2009 Spring Agritourism Conference in Harpers Ferry. The agritourism attraction will hold its first-ever "Bloomin' Bash" July 11, which will benefit Big Brothers and Big Sister of the Eastern Panhandle and will feature educational programs, food and music. |
“Hillbilly Daylilies in Bunker Hill will host its first ever “Bloomin’ Bash” July 11 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. The event is planned as a benefit for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Eastern Panhandle, and will also feature food, educational programs and 350 varieties of field-grown daylilies in peak bloom.
Adult educational programs include “Growing a Kitchen Herb Garden” at 10 a.m., “Rain Barrels” at 11 a.m., “Native Plants in the Home Landscape” at noon, “Composting 101” at 1 p.m., “Pollinators in Your Backyard” at 2 p.m., and “Growing Herbs to Use and Enjoy” at 3 p.m.
The Berkeley-Jefferson Master Gardener Association will be on hand giving out gardening info and answering questions, and a kid’s tent with fun garden projects will be hosted by WVU Extension Agent Denis Scott.
Food and ice cream will be available from Texas BBQ and Rock Hill Creamery with live bluegrass music by Sleepy Creek and Skystone.
Attendees can also choose their own daylilies from the field, which farm staff will dig and prepare on the spot. Admission is $5 per person and children under 5 years old get in free.
Hillbilly Daylilies recently received a $4,000 Specialty Crops Grant through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture for a research project on “The Viability of Daylilies Using a Coldframe.” This project will develop and demonstrate a growing technique that can sustain and improve the viability of daylilies and enhance the market competitiveness of this specialty horticultural crop. The project will utilize coldframe production methods to sustain plants during adverse environmental conditions, extend the selling season, develop visual marketing methods and increase sales. The project will also conduct a one-day festival designed to promote the product and education on the innovative growing technique.
For more information and to pre-register for workshops, call 304-229-6698 or visit www.HillbillyDaylilies.com. Hillbilly Daylilies is located at 1105 Giles Mill Road, Bunker Hill, WV 25413.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
|
