$25 | 12 Classes & Keynote Speaker

Life Foursquare Church
2954 W Ash Ave.
Decatur, IL  62526

Sign up by February 14

It's never too early to start thinking about gardening.  Join the Macon County Master Gardeners for a fun, engaging day of classroom-style sessions both beginning and expert gardeners will enjoy. Youth are also invited to join 4-H for crafts, STEM, and gardening activities while caregiver is attending sessions. 

Items will be available for purchase from a variety of vendors during the event. Lunch is included in admission.

Questions? Contact Whitney Allison at 217.877.6042 or wallison@illinois.edu

Event Schedule:

Key Note Speaker 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Bill "Mad Botanist" Knight, Common Gardening Mistakes and Misconceptions
Bill (aka The Mad Botanist) is a professionally trained botanist, experienced gardener and educator. A native Illinoisan, he schooled at EIU, U of Mich, and the U of Ill. He is comfortable dealing with flowering plants and cryptogams (i.e., fungi, lichens, bryophytes, and ferns) as well as ornamental and food plant issues. He has an extensive ethnobotanical background and understands the peculiarities presented by the bistate climate and soil, both in natural and human-influenced environs. Bill was a curator and research/field biologist for 10 years (Illinois Natural History Survey and Indiana State Museum) and taught high school biology for 15 years. For over three decades he has directed the special publications program for the Indiana Academy of Science, producing and marketing numerous books (e.g., Orchids of Indiana, The Sunflower Family in the Upper Midwest, Sedges of Indiana (2 vol.) and the monumental Flora of the Chicago Region). He wrote, illustrated, and self-published (2016) Rantings of a Mad Botanist, a 450-page 106-chapter book intended to help gardeners and property managers make fewer mistakes (save money, time, and failed specimens). The book emphasizes stewardship and central Indiana but is more broadly applicable. He lives at and gardens a three-acre property on the NE side of Indianapolis.

Bill will discuss the mistakes and misperceptions (inaccurate or insufficient plant knowledge) that severely limit gardening potential, both the garden and the gardener.  I will discuss the major issues one by one and provide a summary handout.   Further, I will draw on my half-century plus of broad experience to inform and entertain (i.e., elucidating on the difference between opinion and advice OR that one of the biggest gardening mistakes is taking advice from the wrong sources.  My style is direct and I will tell you what I would want to hear, what we need to hear and let drive our actions, the facts.  GUARANTEE: I will make you think and improve you and your garden.

Class Descriptions:
Session 1 | 9:45 AM to 10:30 AM
PLANTS AND POLLINATORS
Ryan Pankau, Extension Horticulture Educator serving Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties.
Globally, pollinators and other insects are experiencing declines from human-induced environmental impacts making the plants we include in our landscapes increasingly important for their support.  Join Extension Educator Ryan Pankau for a fascinating exploration of the plant and pollinator co-evolutionary relationship, as well as a variety of tips for creating pollinator-friendly garden spaces.
FRUIT TREE PRUNING
Doug Gucker, Local Food Systems and Small Farms Extension educator with the University of Illinois Extension.
Harvest more fruit from your home orchard by pruning during the dormant season. This early-spring task can improve fruit quality, reduce diseases, and improve long-term tree health, but proper pruning practices are important! Learn more about when, how, and what to prune in this informational session.
SPRING VEGETABLE GARDENING
Jennifer Fishburn, Horticulture Educator with the University of Illinois Extension in Logan, Menard, and Sangamon Counties.
This session discusses growing vegetables that thrive in cool, mild temperatures of spring. Participants will learn essential planting and harvesting techniques tailored for spring vegetables, including tips on preparing garden beds, selecting high-quality seeds, and optimizing planting times to maximize yield.
PAINTED FLOWERS ON GLASS - hands-on
Merry Lanker, Macon County Master Gardener and Master Naturalist.
Create a beautiful botanical piece of art using paint on glass. Bring a picture frame of your choice (8x10 or smaller) or use one of the frames provided. No artistic ability required.

Session 2 | 10:45 AM to 11:30 AM
SHRUB CARE
Ryan Pankau, Extension Horticulture Educator serving Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties.
This presentation will focus on shrub care in the home landscape with an emphasis on pruning for maintenance and heath care.  Ryan will also discuss some common environment stressors of shrubs as well as other issues that may impact the longevity of landscape shrubs.
LANDSCAPING: FACT OR FICTION
Chris Enroth, Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator serving Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren Counties.
With our ever-expanding technology and connectedness, we have more information readily available than any human society in history. In our swirling whirlpool of digital communications, it can be hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. Join University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Chris Enroth, as we dispel landscaping myths of products, trends, and management strategies and get to the science of gardening.     
PLANT ALTERNATIVES (PLANT THIS, NOT THAT)
Jennifer Fishburn, Horticulture Educator with the University of Illinois Extension in Logan, Menard, and Sangamon Counties.
Support local wildlife, promote biodiversity, and enhance the resilience of the landscape by exploring a variety of native plant alternatives that are well-suited to replace invasive species. These alternatives offer both ecological benefits and aesthetic appeal for shade and sun. Participants will learn about each species and their care requirements.
MICROGREENS - hands-on
Lois Mumma & Betty Moser, Macon County Master Gardeners
Microgreens are not only rich in nutrients but easily grown. Session affords participants the opportunity to taste test greens but also take a kit for growing their own microgreens at home.  Instructions, recipes, and nutritional information will be presented in a handout.

Session 3 | 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM
THE NATIVE GARDEN
Elizabeth Jeffery, Macon County Master Gardener, and Master Naturalist.
Elizabeth will talk about the why (good for us; good for wildlife) and the how (specific plant needs for sun, shade, and soil type) of planting low-maintenance colorful native Illinois perennials in the garden. She will also discuss the suitability of a few native grasses, shrubs, and trees to give structure, particularly to the winter garden.
HOW TO KILL YOUR TREE: A GUIDE WHAT NOT TO DO
Chris Enroth, Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator serving Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren Counties.
Sometimes a tree’s biggest pest is the homeowner. During this session, participants will learn all the common mistakes homeowners make when planting and maintaining their most valuable landscape investment, their trees.
HOUSEPLANTS: HOW TO CARE FOR THEM AND HOW THEY CARE FOR YOU
Deanna Koenigs, a Horticulture Instructor and Greenhouse Coordinator for Richland Community College Department of Agriculture.
 Shiann Currie, Horticulturist and Owner of Free Nature LLC 
With this session, you are invited to join us in our love for house plants. We will cover a variety of plant care tips and instructions to help the novice and the expert house plant owner. We will also talk about how your houseplants care for you, and the effects they have on your mental and physical health. 
SMARTPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS - hands-on
Elissa McGlaughlin, trained photojournalist and practicing portrait photographer
Learn the basics of smartphone photography, including the 7 principles of photography composition, and actionable tips to unlock to capabilities built into your smartphone camera. During this interactive session, we will have our phones in hand and practice some of the tips as a group.

All Day 4-H Youth Activities
Adult attendees are welcome to bring youth (ages 5-18) for craft, STEM, cooking, and gardening activities.  Please include children on the registration form of their guardian. A limited number of spots are available!