Garden Expo ready to roll

March 4, 2011

Special to the Daily News

More than 50 vendors began setting up their booths at the Mississippi Horse Park on Friday, arriving from throughout the mid-south.
The Everything Garden Expo, a team effort between the Starkville Area Arts Council and
Mississippi State University, opens today at 8 a.m. and will continue until 6 p.m.
Vendors will show and sell the latest in gardening equipment, plant materials and yard art, while gardening authorities periodically conduct seminars designed to provide information on the latest tips and techniques.
Today’s seminars include “Landscaping 101 (8:45 a.m.); “Dang it, Varmints Again!” (10 a.m.); “How to Grow Award Winning Daffodils: (11:15 a.m.); “Beautify with Native Plants (1 p.m.); “Latest Tips from the World of Herbs (2:15 p.m.); “Cooking with Herbs (3:30 p.m,); “Dos and Don’ts of Container Gardening (4:30 p.m.).
Sunday at the Expo will feature “How to Succeed at Organic Gardening (Noon); ‘”Gardening for the Entire Family” (1:15 p.m.); and “Vegetable Gardening Wisdom” (2:45.
If you have a budding gardener in your family, or want to promote a lifetime of enjoyment for the youngsters in your family, come to the Expo and bring the children along. Children six and under are free. Regular admission is $5 a person.

8:45 a.m – 9:10 a.m. and again 9:20 – 9:45 Saturday
“All about Bees”

Honey bees are the perfect complement to both flower and vegetable gardens.  A single backyard hive can double vegetable yields and supply the beekeepers with two or three gallons of honey per year.  Entomologist Audrey Sheridan will be discussing the wide variety of native and non-native flowers and vegetable plants that the gardener can plant to attract honey bees, as well as sharing information on the basics of hobby beekeeping.  An observation hive will be available for attendees to watch bees at work.”

10:30 – 12:00 Saturday
“See it Grow”

The Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinics give children the chance to learn how to build something out of wood. Kids get to take their newly-built project home.  In this case it is a See It Grow Planter they will build on site at the Expo.  Lowe’s provides the kits, hammer, and protective goggles for the child to wear, and store employees will guide the kids through each set of the project.  Parents are encouraged to assist their children as well. Most clinics are held for first through fifth graders. Parents are required to stay with their children to help.  Children 5 and under build a project as well with Mom and Dad’s help too.

1:45 – 2:45 Saturday
“Go Wild about Mississippi Wildlife!”

Andrea Schuhmann with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science will lead an exciting hour for kids of all ages. This is an interactive program involving some charismatic representatives of Mississippi wildlife.  Learn the status of the endangered black bear, discover what huge extinct mammals were walking through your back yard over 10,000 years ago, and experience how to identify native animals using skulls, fur, and tracks.
And just when you think things can’t get any more exciting, meet some very special (live!) ambassadors for the state’s diverse suite of species.
Andrea is a conservation biologist and outreach educator for the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.  She provides free wildlife and endangered species education programs for schools and community groups throughout north Mississippi. 
She adapts the current data developed by the Museum’s scientific specialists to general audiences so that citizens can better understand their role in valuing, protecting, and improving the status of the state’s native flora and fauna. Limited to 30 children.

1:45 p.m. on Sunday
“See it Grow”

Repeat of Saturday’s program sponsored by Lowe’s.