BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Cold temperatures may be keeping us indoors, but spring is just around the corner—a season many of us eagerly await as we look forward to getting back into our gardens. The good news is that you don’t have to wait for warmer weather to start planning. Explore new plants, learn fresh care techniques, and tackle gardening challenges at the 24th annual Home, Lawn, and Garden Day, presented by the University of Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners. Join us on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the Parke Regency Conference Center in Bloomington for a day full of garden inspiration and education. Register online at go.illinois.edu/HLGD.
Home, Lawn, and Garden Day offers an engaging mix of learning and inspiration with an opening session, two breakout workshops, and a keynote presentation. This year’s keynote speaker, Bob Streitmatter, Director of Luthy Botanical Garden in Peoria, will share about ‘Nature-Inspired Gardens.’ Nature has long inspired art, architecture, and garden design, and that connection is stronger than ever today. This talk traces that dialogue—from Japanese and English gardens to Jensen, the Lurie Garden, and the High Line—and ends with takeaways you can use in your own garden.
Be ready for an entertaining opening session! Every gardener has a few plant regrets, and Good Growing Podcast hosts Ken Johnson and Chris Enroth are no exception. In this fun session, they will share the plants they will never grow again—along with the reliable favorites they plant every year. Stick around for a live Q&A to get answers to your own gardening questions.
The $40 fee for this half-day (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) program includes the keynote presentation, two breakout sessions, mid-morning refreshments, and access to exhibitors and vendors. Some hands-on workshops may include additional material fees.
Discover a variety of topics presented by local experts, including vegetable gardening, tree care, rain gardens, new plants for 2026, and composting. Hands-on workshops offer creative opportunities like drying and pressing flowers and saving heirloom seeds.
Don’t miss the chance to visit and shop with exhibitors and vendors. This is your opportunity to discover new products, learn about gardening trends, and find treasures to enhance your garden. For questions about the program or to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at (309) 663-8306. Reserve your spot early—workshops fill quickly!
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 six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.