The 2026 Fair Demonstration Garden
By Judy MacLaren, UC Master Gardener of Merced County
If you visited the Horticulture exhibit area at last month's Merced County Fair, you may have seen the beautiful 20 foot by 24 foot demonstration garden designed, created, and built by the UC Master Gardeners of Merced County.
The large garden theme this year was "Country Chic." The Garden Design Team Leads (Janette, Debbie M, and Corina) created a garden plot design, and then oversaw the sourcing of plant and garden materials, making multiple visits to Stepping Stone Nursery in Atwater to select plants to be "donated" and then "returned" after the fair.
The Design Team then oversaw the building of the garden from a bare patch of soil to an award-winning garden. More than half of our volunteers donated their time, effort, lights, garden items and plants. Brisco Enterprises donated river rock for the pond surround and pea gravel for the garden paths
Common and botanical plant names were gathered for over 50 plants and planters in the garden. The plot plan was created with numbers for corresponding plants, and posted for reference by the fair judges and the general public. The list in excel is attached below.
