Enjoy live workshops, a question and answer session with gardening experts and a keynote speech on sustainable gardening at the 20th annual show.

Be inspired to grow cut flowers, learn how to properly care for your trees, or get a handle on the basics of everyday gardening at the 20th annual Home, Lawn and Garden Day.

Enjoy live workshops, a Q&A with gardening experts and a keynote speech on sustainable gardening in this annual celebration of gardening hosted virtually this year by University of Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners. Home, Lawn and Garden Day will be 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5. The cost is $10. Register by March 3 at go.illinois.edu/HLGD.

Attendees will attend three live workshops on trending horticulture topics, including tree care in the home landscape, cut flower gardening, and vegetable gardening in your backyard. At the midday session, Master Gardeners from the featured WJBC Radio question and answer segment will host their own Q&A session. Participants can get practical, researched-based solutions from the Master Gardeners.

The keynote speaker Jan Bills, horticulturist, author, and landscape business owner will explore how to garden with comfort, ease, and simplicity. Discover how sustainable gardening includes a variety of practices that respond to environmental concerns and can be used in every stage of gardening.

Program Schedule

8:30 a.m. — Welcome

8:45 a.m.— Tree Care in the Home Landscape, presented by Ryan Pankau

From site selection and planting to mature tree care, there is a lot to think about when growing trees at home! Join Ryan Pankau, Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, for a discussion on tree care topics to keep the landscape healthy and thriving.

9:30 a.m. — Gardening for Cut Flowers, presented by Candice Hart

Cut flower gardening can be a fun and easy gardening endeavor, allowing you to increase the number of flowers in the garden, while also enjoying a beautiful vase to decorate the breakfast table. Join Candice Hart, State Master Gardener Specialist, to learn how to grow cut flowers, their benefits in the garden, and how to condition them to be long-lasting. She will share her all-time favorite flowers to grow.

10:15 a.m.  — Garden and Growing Q&A with Master Gardeners (WJBC Show panel)

10:45 a.m. — Growing Vegetables Isn’t Work – It’s Fun, presented by Tom Creswell

Using photos from his garden, McLean County Master Gardener Tom Creswell will share his evolution from a “farming/work” mentality to a “gardening/fun” mentality as a home gardener over the last several years. He will discuss vegetable production using purchased and constructed raised beds; the use of borders, mulch, and barriers to make gardening easier and more productive; his choice of gardening tools; and adding interesting and fun elements to a garden and yard to make gardening more pleasant and productive.

11:30 a.m. ­— Keynote: Comfort, Ease, and Simplicity in Your Garden, presented by Jan Bills

After a successful career in the corporate world, Jan made a major life reassessment and followed her heart. She traded in her heels for Wellies and started the Detroit-area landscape design company, Two Women and a Hoe (twowomenandahoe.com).

One of the core values of her business is “living and creating spiritual connections with the environment”. Jan is also the author of the book, Late Bloomer, where she shares how to maintain a joyful, healthful connection with the soil – but without the toil.

In her talk, Comfort, Ease, and Simplicity in Your Garden, she will discuss how gardens should be our love, not our labor of love! Discover how sustainable gardening includes a variety of practices that respond to environmental concerns. These practices can be used in every stage of gardening including design, planting, and maintenance. Together we will develop a shift in perspective as we explore how to garden with comfort, ease, and simplicity.

12:30 p.m. — Closing remarks

For more information or if you need a reasonable accommodation, contact Illinois Extension horticulture educator Brittnay Haag at 309- 663-8306 or bhaag@illinois.edu.