As dormant plants slowly extend bright green limbs from under a blanket of soil, garden enthusiasts thumb plant catalogs in eager anticipation of another growing season. Are you making plans for your bountiful garden? It may be cold outside, but spring fever has hit many gardeners – including this one! Begin the much-anticipated season with the 21st annual Home, Lawn, and Garden Day, brought to you by the Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners.
Keynote speaker Melinda Myers is a TV/Radio host and author with over 30 years of horticulture experience. She is also an accomplished writer, with more than twenty gardening books published, including the Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition, and Small Space Gardening.
Is a lack of time, energy, or space keeping you from gardening? Melinda will share ways to keep gardening with her presentation, Using Low Maintenance Gardening Plants for High Rewards in Beauty and Health. Many plants can add a delightful fragrance and beautiful blooms to our gardens, but they can also provide us with nutritional produce to include on our dinner plates. Work smarter, not harder, this year, to create a beautiful garden – Melinda has the tips to make it happen.
If an indoor garden is your happy place, attend the Make a Kokedama: A Moss Ball Garden to Take Home, a session presented by Brittnay Haag. Learn of an immerging trend in Japanese bonsai where plants are grown in a special mixture of moss-wrapped soil. Kokedama are eye-catching when displayed on a decorative tray or dish but space-saving gardeners may enjoy their versatility as a lightweight plant that can hang from decorative cord or wire as a string garden. Get ready to dig your hands in the soil and create your own unique plant work of art for home!
With engaging presentations on topics like… new plant arrivals at garden centers, garden preparations for spring, gardening for the pollinators, growing healthy vegetables, and much more – you will not believe it all fits into a morning! With so much knowledge to glean, remember to save space for a few garden treasures while visiting the many vendors. And the opportunities for gardening and outdoor exploration extend beyond your own backyard. Visit exhibitors representing local natural spaces to learn about upcoming community events – the season of outdoor fun has just begun.
Enjoy the day for $30, which includes four gardening presentations, light refreshments, door prizes, and over 25 local vendors and exhibitors. Visit go.illinois.edu/HLGD for more information and to register for the event. Registration closes on March 1.
Join the fun. Share stories and laughs while we all patiently wait for the warmth of spring, a sign that the gardening season has returned.
Photo Credit: Sanservaria by Drew Beamer on Unsplash
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brittnay Haag is a Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, serving Livingston, McLean, and Woodford Counties. Her work focuses on youth horticulture education, specifically through school gardens and Jr. Master Gardener programs. Brittnay provides leadership for three county Master Gardener programs and is responsible for developing community programs and providing expertise in horticulture and environmental sciences.