Drawing homeowners, gardeners and plant enthusiasts from throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area for more than two decades, the annual Ellis County Master Gardeners Lawn and Garden Expo is an all-day event featuring a huge plant sale, presentations by plant experts, children’s activities and dozens of exhibitors.
Date, Time and Location
The 2025 Ellis County Master Gardeners Lawn and Garden Expo takes place from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on March 29, 2025 at the Waxahachie Civic Center, 2000 Civic Center Ln, Waxahachie, TX 75165.
Ticket prices are $5.00 for adults, cash only. Children 12 years old and younger are admitted for free. Free tickets are available from event sponsors listed on the Ellis County Master Gardeners Lawn and Garden Expo web page.
Lawn and Garden Expo Attractions
The Plant Sale
The main attraction of the annual Ellis County Master Gardeners Lawn and Garden Expo is a plant sale with both food plants and ornamentals available for purchase.
The plants are sold on a first-come-first served basis, and organizers encourage attendees to arrive early for the best selection of tomato cultivars, peppers, squash and herbs for the garden, and trees, bushes and annual flowers for the yard. Featured at the plant sale this year is a limited selection of Japanese maples.
Ask a Master Gardener Table
Anyone who needs advice on how to stop tomatoes from rotting on the vine, what to grow in the shade, how to keep aphids off of peppers or any other plant-related question may ask a trained expert at the Ask a Master Gardener table at the expo.
The table will be staffed by master gardeners throughout the day. As sources of science-backed information, the volunteers strive to give answers that are free from the old wives’ tales and outright erroneous advice that prevail among novice gardeners and on online gardening forums.
Public Presentations and Keynote Speakers
Keynote speakers recognized for their expertise offer special insights on horticultural practices each year at the expo, complementing public presentations given throughout the event.
For 2025, Ellis County Master Gardener Janet Madison will give a public presentation entitled Gardening for a Lifetime at 10:00 a.m.
The keynote speaker is horticulturalist Jay White of Texas Gardener Magazine who will present Gardening for Life at 11:00 a.m.
Ellis County Master Gardener Mary Ann Mezzapelle will speak to us about The Best Trees for Ellis County at 1:00 p.m.
“The theme this year is Gardening for Life: improving our lives through gardening whether it is edible gardening or planning our garden spaces to make gardening easier as we age,” says Ellis County Master Gardener Vice President, Suzie Timmerman.
Children’s Workshops and Giveaway
Acquainting younger attendees with gardening and the natural world, Ellis County Master Gardeners host children’s activities throughout the day. The hands-on activities have ranged in the past from basic seed starting to building a butterfly feeder.
For 2025, the children’s activities will focus on how nature helps us to grow our food and how landscaping can also be a sustainable habitat for wild creatures.
“Turn part of your yard into a natural landscape to support bees, birds, and butterflies. Make balls of seed to take home and plant some tomatoes. Learn about the bees, butterflies, worms and bugs that add value to our gardens.” Suzie says.
Exhibitors
In addition to the Master Gardeners plant sale and special exhibitions for adults and children, dozens of businesses will set up at the expo to show off their homewares, lawn and garden offerings, natural living products, and arts and crafts.
Many exhibitors will have plants, landscape tools and equipment, and home-life products available at special, event-day pricing also.
“Again this year, we will have many great vendors showcasing beautiful garden art, tractors, home improvement products, jams and jellies, adorable crafted items, nursery and landscape companies, and the best toffee in Texas,” Suzie says.
About the Ellis County Master Gardeners
The Ellis County Master Gardeners are an all-volunteer group affiliated with the Texas Master Gardener program that operates under the supervision of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
The mission of the program is to bring reliable information on gardening, landscaping, pest management and related horticultural topics to Texas residents. Master Gardeners undergo initial training and commit to serving their community each year through volunteer efforts and public outreach.