If you go
› What: Master Your Garden› Where: Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge› When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, April 14; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 15› Admission: $10 ages 13 and older, cash or check only› For more information: www.mghc.org
Master Your Garden expo offers plants, shrubs and flowers for sale as well as free advice from professionals. (Photo: Master Gardeners)Want to know how to keep deer out of your garden? Need tips for growing better tomatoes or okra? Or do you just need someone to cultivate the seed of interest in gardening?
Find this and much more in one convenient location when the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County present their sixth annual Master Your Garden expo on Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, at Camp Jordan Arena in East Ridge.
Focusing on gardening and the outdoors, the expo brings together a wide array of exhibits, educational activities and vendors of interest to experienced and novice gardeners, gardening enthusiasts and folks who just stop in to browse.
The two-day event will include 17 speakers, eight ongoing demonstrations, a silent auction, activities for children, vendors with plants for sale, garden tools, foods, natural products, nature-related art and jewelry and much more. In addition, the Master Gardeners will staff a question-and-answer table where you can get advice from the pros on your garden problems.
A children's area for ages 2 to 12 will be set up. Budding gardeners can engage in hands-on, gardening-related activities and make a fun project to take home.
"Our goal is to bring the latest gardening information to the Chattanooga community. In past years, people attending have stayed for hours partaking of our numerous and varied offerings. Many have gone home with something beautiful and lasting for their own gardens," says Carol Mathews, expo chairwoman.
Proceeds from the expo help fund MGHC scholarships for agricultural and horticultural students in Tennessee.
For more information: mghc.org/garden-expo/.
ALSO THIS WEEKEND
Trails and Trilliums Festival
The 15th annual Trails and Trilliums Festival at South Cumberland State Park Visitor Center in Monteagle, Tenn., opens Friday, April 13, continuing through Sunday, April 15.
This celebration of spring offers daily guided hikes on South Cumberland State Park trails, speakers and workshops, arts and crafts vendors and family activities in addition to its popular Wine & Wildflowers fundraiser. That benefit is Saturday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Monteagle Inn. Tickets for Wine & Wildflowers are $35.
Registration is required for all hikes and for Wine & Wildflowers. Register online at www.trailsandtrilliums.org. All proceeds from the weekend benefit Friends of South Cumberland State Park.
This year's Trails and Trilliums is made possible with support from Lodge Cast Iron.
Schedule
SaturdayClassroom A11:30 a.m. Deer and Predator Invisible Fencing1 p.m. Cactus and Other Succulents2:30 p.m. Gardening Small in Terrariums and Troughs4 p.m. DahliasClassroom B11 a.m. Okra: A Southern Staple12:30 p.m. Spring and Summer Vegetables2 p.m. Great Ferns for Southern Gardens and Their Shady Friends3:30 p.m. Nature Photography5 p.m. Proper Care of Shrubs and TreesSundayClassroom A11:15 a.m. Good Bugs, Bad Bugs12:45 p.m. Hydroponics2:15 p.m. Companion Planting With Mushrooms3:45 p.m. Container-Grown VegetablesClassroom B11 a.m. Tomatoes12:30 p.m. Companion Planting With Herbs2 p.m. Growing Wild Things in a Polite Neighborhood3:30 p.m. Basic Landscaping