Each spring, it seems, I need to learn a new language all over again. The winter days spent baking and working on genealogy-based projects are over and I lean into outdoor pursuits such as gardening. Words such as Parthenocissus, aquaponic and soil amendments are part of my vernacular once again. Attending gardening events helps to make that transition smoother and much more enjoyable. For this column, Brenda Dahlfors, Program Coordinator with Illinois Extension serving McHenry/Lake Counties, has agreed to answer a few questions about Gardenfest an upcoming gardening event. Gardenfest takes place on Saturday, April 11, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McHenry County College.
Brenda, can you please tell us about Illinois Extension?
Absolutely! Extension is literally an extension between researchers on campus and the local community. Almost every county in Illinois has an Extension which offers programming such as 4-H, Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists; and resources for nutrition, economics, agriculture and health.
What is Gardenfest?
Gardenfest is an annual event for gardeners from beginner to advanced, to come together to learn and share more about their passions. There is a keynote speaker in the morning, followed by breakout sessions on all kinds of garden topics, lunch, more breakout sessions, and garden related vendors to shop from.
Neal Sanders will be doing a presentation titled ‘Gardening is Murder.’ Can you give us a sneak preview about what he might be discussing?
Neal is a nationally known speaker and quite funny – I’ve known about Neal for years but have not been privileged to hear him speak until now. Neal presents a humorous “spouse’s point of view” of gardening, offering insight from someone who gardens more out of love for a partner than horticulture itself. Good advice is shared, bad advice is debunked, and topics include terrible internet gardening tips, why you should never calculate the value of your gardening labor, proof that wildlife doesn’t watch Disney movies, and why it takes three holes to plant one thing. Gardeners and their loved ones will see themselves in Neal’s stories.
The container gardening workshops hosted by Heather Moister seem fun. What do those include?
Many people remember Heather Moister from her days as a manager at the Barn Nursery. When she retired from the Barn, she opened her own shop “Soil & Spade”, in Crystal Lake, where they do amazing custom containers. Since this is a hands-on class, participants can expect to come away with something fabulous!
If someone is interested in exploring the world of bonsai plants, what resources are offered to them at Gardenfest?
Rich Tobiasz will be teaching a two-part class on Bonsai. The first part will be lecture, and the second part will be hands-on, where participants will go home with a tree that they will work on themselves. Rich is an amazing plantsman who has been a Master Gardener since 2003, lives on a 5-acre organic farm and is a horticulture instructor at MCC.
Soil is often the key to a plant’s success but it is an area where many gardeners struggle. Is there a presentation that you would recommend to people who want to learn more about this topic?
Great gardeners know that the success of a garden lies as much in the soil as it does in plant selection. Without understanding soil types and proper techniques for amending and improving soil, gardeners can waste a lot of time and money planting things that just won’t thrive. Rich Tobiasz’s soil class will help gardeners of every level understand this.
Gardenfest also includes a community expo. What is included in this?
For the second year, we are opening the vendor area to the general public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to shop for garden related items at their leisure, in the cafeteria area. There is still some construction expected to be going on, but for now, anyone can enter thru the Leucht auditorium “B” entrance to shop.
How do people find more information and register for this event?
Registration is online only and open now through March 28. Walk ins are accepted but will pay ten dollars more and many classes are size limited so it’s best to register early! www.mchenry.edu/gardenfest/
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc.,a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
