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Spring Break Gardening

The Jo Daviess County Extension Staff along with the Jo Daviess County Master Gardeners are busy planning their annual Spring Break Gardening Day. This year the event is being held on Saturday, March 21, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. The event is being held at the CTE Academy, 950 US HWY 20 W. Elizabeth, IL. There will be a $20 registration fee that will include refreshments, lunch and handouts. Also, please be aware that if you choose to participate in the certain breakout sessions there will be an additional fee associated with some of them to cover materials that you will go home with.  For more information or to register for this program please visit us online at go.illinois.edu/jsw or call us at 815-858-2273.

This year the keynote address will be given by Eliana Brown, Water Quality Specialist with IISG and Illinois Extension. Eliana will present on “The Beautiful Way to Improve Water Quality”. This presentation focuses on how to have healthy landscapes that help local waterways without sacrificing aesthetics. Topics that will be discussed include sustainable lawn care, rain gardens, and native plants and how to integrate them into your existing landscape beautifully. Eliana has a Master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Illinois where she worked as the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Coordinator. She is also a LEED AP, a certified Master Gardener, and recently passed the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program. Brown is involved with the implementation of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. Her areas of expertise are the regulatory aspects of wastewater and storm water programs and green infrastructure.

Following the keynote address there will be several breakout sessions on various topics some of which include: Raised Bed Gardens and Salad Tables, Bonsai Planting and Care, Incorporating Water Into Landscapes, and more. The Jo Daviess County Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists will have a table set up where you can ask them questions you may have and learn more about what the groups do or can do for you. For more specific details on what the breakout sessions will cover and what the remaining breakout session topics will be please visit our website at go.illinois.edu/jsw or call us at 815-858-2273.

There will also be a silent auction taking place. Bidding will open at 8:30 and will close at 2:05. More information to come on what all items will be included in the silent auction