Master Gardeners to host Russel Allen Garden Day

[February 14, 2012]  Logan County Master Gardeners will host Russel Allen Garden Day on March 10 at the Lincoln College Meyers-Evans Student Center. The public is invited for this event that will feature various presentations related to gardening, as well as displays by area plant and gardening societies. Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., following registration from 8 to 8:45 a.m. The day is in honor of Russel Allen, a charter member of the Logan County Master Gardener volunteer program.

Keynote speaker for the event is Marshall Dirks, director of marketing for Proven Winners. The topic of his presentation will be "Today's new plants and a peek into the future." Other session topics and presenters will be "Plant a Rainbow in Your Garden," by Anne and Lee Niepagen, owners of Niepagen greenhouses; "Vegetable Gardening," by Jennifer Fishburn, horticulture educator; "Lawn Care," by Ray Actis, superintendent of Crestwicke Country Club in Bloomington; "A Year at the Pumpkin Patch," by Gail and Dave Sasse, owners of Gail's Pumpkin Patch; "Water Gardening 101," by Kathy Mundell-Bligh, a McLean County Master Gardener and member of the Central Illinois Water Gardeners; and "Everything about Orchids," by Tom Gephart, Gregg Curtiss and Kent Weil, members of the Prairie State Orchid Society,

Preregistration is highly encouraged. The registration fee is $10 in advance, before March 2, and $12 at the door. To view a brochure and register online, visit the Logan-Menard-Sangamon University of Illinois Extension website, http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/. For additional information, call 217-732-8289.

[Text from file received from Logan-Menard-Sangamon University of Illinois Extension]