WINNEBAGO COUNTY- Garden enthusiasts are invited to prepare for and welcome in the growing season with University of Illinois Extension and U of I Extension Master Gardeners at Gardening for Food, Flowers, and Fun. The day will have something for every gardener in every stage of their growing journey. Whether you are interested in growing your own food, having a visually striking garden, learning about pollinators, or more, there is something for you!
Gardening for Food, Flowers, and Fun will take place on March 14th at the NIU Rockford Conference Center (8500 East State Street, Rockford, IL). Check-in begins at 8:30 AM, and the last session concludes at 12:00 PM. Kicking us off at 9 AM will be our Keynote speaker, David McKinney, Curator of Collections and Grounds from Iowa Arboretum, who will lead us through creating resilient gardens in his session Gardening in a Changing World: planning now for your garden’s future.
Following the Keynote session, there will be two breakout sessions. Session I options are Beyond the Bees: an up-close look at many of the other important creatures involved in pollination, Happy Houseplants 101: Make and Take ($15 Cost), and Vegetable Gardening in Raised Beds and Containers. Session II options include Myth Busting Nature 2.0, The Joy of Growing Your Own Food, and Inside the Moonlight Garden at Midway Village. Throughout the day, participants can also participate in a silent auction and grab free garden books and magazines.
Preregistration is not required, but it is requested. Preregistration is $20. For more information or to register, visit go.illinois.edu/GFFF2026Event or call our Winnebago County office at 815-986-4357.
If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in this program, please contact the Winnebago County Extension Office at 815-986-4357.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.