Garden Day 2014 offers workshops, talks and much more

The Michigan State University (MSU) Horticulture Gardens has slated its annual Garden Day 2014 for members of the public interested in gardening, horticulture, landscaping or floriculture.

The Michigan State University (MSU) Horticulture Gardens has slated its annual Garden Day 2014 for members of the public interested in gardening, horticulture, landscaping or floriculture. This year’s Garden Day will be held Saturday, Aug. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

The event will feature keynote speaker Amy Stewart and ten workshops taught by horticultural professionals where participants can learn new skills and techniques. Participants can attend any two of a wide variety of exciting workshops, including:

  • Herbal Housecleaning: Join Coleen French, owner of French Garden Creations, to learn how to create safe cleaning products using garden-grown herbs and simple house-hold goods, such as baking soda and vinegar.
  • Creative Containers: Think your garden could use some creative inspiration? Join Daedre Craig, annual trial garden manager at the MSU Horticulture Gardens, as she demonstrates how garden containers can combine interesting combinations of colorful foliage, flowers, vegetables and herbs.
  • From Garden to Table: Using Herbs at Home:  Are you growing herbs but still looking for new ideas on how to use them? Come and learn how to cook, drink and even decorate using your herbs from Jessica Wright, 4-H education coordinator, and Val Albright, MSU Extension Program Assistant.
  • Going Native - Using Native Plants in Any Landscape: Native plants add beauty, interest and a sense of place to a landscape; plus they attract beneficial insects and pollinators! Learn how you can incorporate native plants into any landscape from Tom Smith, Michigan State University.
  • Gardening in the Shade: More and more landscapes are becoming dominated by large trees. However this does not mean the end of flower gardening for many beautiful plants perform well in the shade. Join Ralph Heiden, MSU Extension horticulture educator, and discover the many opportunities for creating lovely shaded garden landscapes.

Registration and additional information including the schedule, a full list of workshops, and prices and methods of payment can be found on our MSU Horticulture webpage (http://hrt.msu.edu/garden-day-2014/).

Check in begins at 8 a.m. at the Vet Med Center. Parking will be free in the Veterinary Medical Center Lot (lot 27), which is on the east side of Bogue Street. Overflow parking will be in the Garden Lot (lot 54), which is on the west side of Bogue Street. For maps and driving directions, visit the parking and directions website

Did you find this article useful?