BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – There may be snow on the ground, but the garden season will be here before we know it. Explore new plants or techniques to make your garden beautiful, solve your gardening woes, or even learn the basics of everyday gardening at the University of Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners’ 22nd annual Home, Lawn, and Garden Day on Saturday, March 2, at Central Catholic High School, Bloomington. Home, Lawn, and Garden Day is a day dedicated to garden fun and education! Online registration is open until February 19. Please register at the University of Illinois Extension website at go.illinois.edu/HLGD or stop by the McLean County Extension office at 1615 Commerce Parkway, Bloomington.

Home, Lawn, and Garden Day is an event packed full of gardening speakers and workshops including keynote speaker, Daria McKelvey, Supervisor at Kemper Center for Home Gardening at Missouri Botanical Garden, will inspire us all to create landscapes with year-long interest and beauty as we explore a collection of plants that thrive in Illinois. A midwestern garden filled with year-round interest is challenging as plants must tolerate humid summers, varying weather, and your soil. Finding the right plant for the right place creates a succession of eye-catching colors and textures in all four seasons. Gardeners deserve a garden that works as hard as they do!

The fee for this half-day (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) program is $35 and includes, a keynote session, three additional break-out sessions, and light, mid-morning refreshments. Hands-on workshops may have additional costs to cover materials that may be used.

Learn about a variety of gardening topics from local experts, including vegetable gardening tips and tricks, dealing with clay soils, diagnosing tree problems, and solutions for handling unwelcome wildlife visitors in the garden. Dig deeper into hostas, daylilies, lavender, dahlias, and peonies in topical workshops. Join some hands-on fun and learning by creating a leaf casting with concrete, using dried flowers to create art, or making a succulent wreath to display throughout the year.

There will be plenty of time to visit and shop with the many exhibitors. It is an excellent opportunity to meet and talk with local garden center representatives about new products or to purchase a garden treasure.

For questions about the program, or if you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact us at (309) 663-8306. Reserve your spot today!