The 20th Annual Ellis County Master Gardener Lawn and Garden Expo to feature plant sale, food trucks and expert forums.
After a cancellation last year for the first time in its two-decade run, the 20th Annual Ellis County Master Gardeners Lawn and Garden Expo is set to take place this year in the open outdoors.
The gardening event that draws attendees from all over the county and even throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm. on March 27, 2021 at Chautauqua Auditorium at Getzendaner Park in Waxahachie [map].
Admission is free.
The main attraction for the expo is the large plant sale, which features shrubs, perennials, native plants, herbs and vegetable starts — some of which ar hard to find anywhere else, says ECMG President Susan Knapp.
“We offer a lot of native perennials that you just can’t find anywhere else. They’re not available for sale, generally, a lot of the nurseries. We try to focus on things that are conservation-minded, that don’t require a lot of water and are easier to grow, and many native plants,” Knapp says.
An Ask the Master Gardener booth will also be available for anyone who has a gardening or plant-related question to get seasoned growing advice, and two well-known plant experts will share their knowledge in two presentations.
At 10:00 a.m., Horticulturist Daniel Cunningham will speak on the topic of edible landscaping. Cunningham is a Dallas-area plant-expert, freelance writer and co-founder of Rooted In, a local resource for plant expertise and education.
At 12:00 noon, Greg Grant will present Right Plant, Right Place, a look at how choosing plants for specific environments around the home is key to their success. Grant is the Smith County horticulturist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
Knapp says the first 100 children to show up at the event will receive a butterfly bubbler, a saucer with accommodations for feeding minerals to butterflies to attract the living pieces of artwork to the yard and give them what they need to thrive.
Among the attractions at the event, food trucks will also be on hand.
Knapp says the intent of the expo is to motivate attendees to get out and enjoy landscaping their homes, growing their food and enjoying the beauty of the natural world.
“We want to see successful gardeners. Too often people start out and they just don’t have the good information. So, we want to get that good information out to the public so that they’re successful,” Knapp says.
This is the 20th expo in 21 years. Last year, what would have been the 20th expo was cancelled as the the deadly coronavirus emerged in the U.S.
Knapp says the outdoor location was chosen for the event this year to mitigate the risk of virus transmission. Still, she says she sees the open-air atmosphere as especially appropriate for a gardening expo and feels that the organization may continue to host an outdoor event to welcome the return of spring in the coming years.
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