MAR LIN - Illuminated by golden sun rays Saturday morning, the front lawn at Schuylkill Technology Center-South Campus was filled with more than 1,000 plants and hundreds of people lining up to buy them.
After Virginia Kolibab, Minersville, gathered up numerous items at the school's fifth annual spring plant, shrub and flower sale, including vincas and ageratums, Ryan Doyle, a senior at Minersville Area, helped her calculate her order. It included four 4-inch pots, five 6-inch pots, six four-packs and three hanging baskets.
"They're all for my porch. I like to sit out on the porch and read. And these will fill out as the summer goes on. And the plants are hearty. They really last," Kolibab said.
STC was on track to earn its average take of "between $6,000 and $8,000" at its annual spring sale, according to Bryan G. Lehocky, landscape and floral design instructor at STC South, who organized the sale five years ago.
"Everything today went very well. The rain held off and we sold out of most of our plants. People started showing up at 8 o'clock, and it didn't start until 9," Lehocky said.
"The prices are good, and you're supporting the kids. That's the big thing," Kolibab said.
"It rained last year. We didn't sell out, but we do try to sell whatever's left during school hours. So whatever we don't sell today, people can come out during school hours to see if we still have any in stock," Lehocky said.
The variety of plants, shrubs, annuals and perennials were grown by Lehocky's horticulture students, including Doyle, Laura Cholko, a sophomore at Pottsville Area, and Travis Bush, a junior at Williams Valley.
"They were planted by my landscape and floral design class. This semester, I have eight students and they usually start planting in the middle of February, right after Valentine's Day," Lehocky said.
The plants and flowers were raised in a greenhouse on campus.
"I don't know the exact number of varieties, but the students planted 6,000 seedlings," Lehocky said. They included geraniums, marigolds, petunias, impatiens and azaleas.
The items for sale and their prices were: 4-inch pots, $2.50; 4.5-inch pots, $2.75; 5-inch pots, $3; 6-inch pots, $3.25; four-packs, $1.25; tray of packs, $9; hanging baskets, $10; perennials, $6; and large flower pouches, $12 each, according to the price list handed to buyers.
"I sell everything by the size of the pot, instead of saying 'I sell geraniums at this price' or 'spikes are this price.' I'll use this money next year to buy new pots, new soil and the supplies I need for our classes. It really helps us out," Lehocky said.
Elaine Maneval, manager of Schuylkill Mall, Frackville, was there buying flowers to decorate the mall entrances.
Drew and Kaytelyn Delenick, Seltzer, were there with their 1 1/2-year-old son, Ryan.
"We've been coming out for this for years, I think since they started doing it. We get the hanging baskets and some stuff to plant. Anything we see we like we grab," Kaytelyn said.
"We got six hanging baskets," Bonnie Sayers, Schuylkill Haven, said as she tried to identify what types of colorful flowers she bought.
The flower's name was written in black marker on a plastic tag sticking in the dirt: verbena.
"Whatever they are, they're pretty," Sayers said.