Usher in spring and earn your green thumb at the annual McHenry County Gardenfest. Come learn about new garden trends, plants and techniques at this day-long series of garden-related seminars and workshops.
Gardenfest 2023 will be held April 15 at McHenry County College (MCC), Building B, 8900 U.S. Route 14, in Crystal Lake, Ill., from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gardenfest is an annual educational event co-sponsored by MCC and the University of Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners. Exhibitors will also be onsite selling garden-related wares.
Gardenfest will feature a morning keynote speaker and 16 breakout sessions within four periods presented by industry experts, U of I Extension educators, Extension Master Gardeners and MCC instructors. The day offers something for every gardener -- from landscape design to edibles, native plants, and pollinators.
The keynote address will be “Adding Color with Annuals,” by Kim Hartmann. Hartmann is a popular speaker and landscape designer at Rosborough Partners, a landscape design/build/maintenance company in Libertyville. Kim’s presentation will cover the wide array of annuals available for your containers and gardens, and how to create beautiful color schemes and plant combinations with them.
The 16 Gardenfest session topics will include: “Basic Pruning,” “Tool Maintenance and Sharpening” and “Growing Grapes” all by Rich Tobiasz; “Gardening in Comfort” by Patricia Donald and Betty Lawler; “Midwest Pollinators” by Carol Elkins; “All About Tea Gardens” by Christina Rank; “The Culinary Garden” by Joyce Lande and Raechal Maat; “Common Backyard Weeds” by Sarah Farley; and “Tree and Shrub Selection” and “Making Native Plants Part of your Landscape” both by Garrett Beier; “Your First Vegetable Garden” by Doug Moore; “The Backyard Orchard” by Grant McCarty, and several more. There will also be guided tours of the MCC greenhouse. Attendees will choose to attend four of the 16 available topics within the four breakout periods in a classroom or workshop setting.
Registration for Gardenfest 2023 is available online at mchenry.edu/gardenfest. The cost is $45, payable via credit card. All registrations will be online through Brown Paper Tickets. No registrations will be accepted by mail or phone. The registration deadline is March 31, 2023. After this date, registration is only accepted the day of the conference at the door for an additional $5 fee (space is limited). No refunds.
For more information, email Brenda Dahlfors at dahlfors@illinois.edu or call the U of I Extension McHenry County office at 815-338-3737.