FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — The Master Gardeners of Monmouth County will hold its annual plant sale from noon to 5:30 p.m. May 15 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 16 at the Monmouth County Agriculture Building, 4000 Kozloski Road.

The plant sale will include perennials, annuals, flowering trees and shrubs, hanging baskets and tropical plants. The selection of perennials will include deerresistant and drought-tolerant varieties.

The 2009 sale will also feature an expanded offering of vegetables and herbs that will include the Ramapo and Moreton Hybrid tomatoes and heirloom tomato varieties.

Free workshops on container gardening and information about composting will be available both days and Monmouth County's master gardeners will be on hand to answer gardening questions.

The plant sale will be held rain or shine and all sale are cash and carry. For additional information, call the Monmouth County office of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service at 732-303-7614.

"Much of what you need for springtime planting will be available at the master gardeners sale," Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry said. "The plant sale is excellent, but the best part of the event is the advice that the master gardeners will share with you. If you have a troublesome spot in your home garden, they can help you locate the right plant and soil conditions to make the area flourish."

According to a press release, master gardeners are experts in all things related to home gardening in Monmouth County. After completing classroom and handson training, master gardeners share their knowledge with others by conducting garden lectures, demonstrations, school and community gardening projects, telephone diagnostic service for callers and research.

The master gardener program, conducted throughout the United States and Canada, is a two-part educational effort in which avid gardeners are provided many hours of home horticulture training. In return, they "pay back" local university extension agents through volunteerism.

In New Jersey, the program is a cooperative effort of Rutgers University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the county freeholders. Monmouth County's program involves the county office of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Brookdale Community College and the Monmouth County Park System, according to the press release.