PONTIAC, Ill. – Spending time in a natural space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical well-being. University of Illinois Extension Livingston County Master Gardeners will share resources to help improve your well-being through gardening at A Day in the Garden Patch, on Saturday, March 16 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
A Day in the Garden Patch is all about inspiring, educating, and encouraging gardeners, whether they have a balcony and a sunny window or an acre to grow. This educational event is for all who love plants and want to discover new gardening tips while having fun. The garden wellness presentations include:
Cooking Healthy with Herbs
Do you have an herb garden but are unsure how to incorporate it into your meals? Jenna Smith, Nutrition & Wellness Educator, will share how herbs can greatly enhance the flavor of food while reducing the use of salt and sugar. Participants will receive recipes and tips on buying, storing, and using herbs and spices. Master Gardeners will share some growing tips too!
Create a Sensory Garden
Surrounding yourself with plants in a garden can be a wonderful sensory experience. From sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste, sensory plants can connect garden visitors with nature. Join Brittnay Haag, a Horticulture Educator, to explore how to incorporate various plants to provide sensory benefits into your garden environment.
Wellness in the Garden Stations
Spending time in nature can benefit your mental and physical well-being. Discover some simple activities to foster your experiences in the natural world to improve your overall well-being at activity stations led by the Livingston County Master Gardeners. Enjoy this hands-on portion as you create a nature journal, DIY herbal products, mindful rocks, and more!
A $30 registration fee includes herbal refreshments, 2 workshops, and materials from the wellness in the garden stations. Check-in and light refreshments will be available at 8:45 a.m., with the workshops beginning at 9 a.m. The program will be hosted at the University of Illinois Extension-Livingston County Office at 1412 South Locust Street, Pontiac. Pre-registration is required. To register, visit go.illinois.edu/LMWevents or call (815) 842-1776.
Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities. Illinois Extension is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.