The Hill City Master Gardeners offer home grown plants for sale at very good prices. Garden accessories and refreshments are also for sale. Educational lectures, demonstrations, and children's activities highlight the event at the Aviary in Miller Park from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Free parking at 420 Grove Street and Miller Park Pool.

Parking is available in lots at Miller Park Pool, 2100 Park Ave., and behind the Parks and Recreation Building, 301 Grove St. There are a limited number of handicapped parking spaces at the Aviary. Assistance in transporting your purchases to your vehicle will be available.

All proceeds fund the volunteer efforts of the non-profit organization. HCMGA trains Master Gardeners, conducts youth programs at elementary schools and community centers, provides adult horticultural education, and continues the Virginia Cooperative Extension program in Lynchburg and Amherst and Campbell Counties.

Mark your calendar for the first Saturday in May, come to Miller Park and celebrate spring, nature and gardening with the Hill City Master Gardeners. Adopt a plant to enhance your home. Learn how to beautify and improve your home gardens and have a great time with fellow gardeners.

The Hill City Master Gardener Volunteers are on hand throughout the day at their Compost Education Center located in the Old City Cemetery on Taylor Street on Garden Day.

The Compost Education site has been redesigned to display the composting process using various types of bins. Heirloom flowers and vegetables will be planted in the newly enlarged gardens. Recycling nature's refuse was a standard agricultural practice in the nineteenth century. Soil conditioned with compost enriched by worm castings is still an excellent growing medium.

Master Gardeners, under the sponsorship of Virginia Cooperative Extension, explain to visitors how to turn Lynchburg red clay into a rich loam that produces vigorous plant growth. As you drive around the cemetery loop, the Compost Center is located on the right hand side of the road just before reaching the Chapel on the left.

Horticulture questions and plant concerns can be addressed to Hill City Master Gardener Volunteers at the Lynchburg Community Market. Trained Master Gardeners staff the Gazebo from 8am to 11am on Saturday mornings starting in mid-March and continuing through the growing season.

They are available at the Virginia Cooperative Extension office (455-3740) during the season from 9am til noon beginning in April. Fresh plant samples may be brought to the office for identification, diagnosis, or transfer to Virginia Tech. Plant samples should be securely wrapped in plastic.