Marshall Dirks to be keynote speaker at Russel Allen Garden Day

[March 08, 2012]  It's not too late for you to attend the first Russel Allen Garden Day, sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension Logan County Master Gardeners. This event will be on Saturday at Lincoln College. Registration starts at 8 a.m., the first seminar is at 9 a.m., and the event concludes at 1:30 p.m.

Keynote speaker will be Marshall Dirks, director of marketing and public relations of Proven Winners. Dirks combines his horticultural experience and marketing skills to create awareness of the Proven Winners brand, including developing and maintaining a consistent, recognizable image for the brand.

The keynote program will be followed by six 45-minute seminars. These seminars will be offered in two sessions by U of I Extension specialists, Master Gardener volunteers and local horticulture experts.

Seminar topics and presenters are:

• "Lawn Care"; Raymond Actis, of Elks Country Club Golf Course, Lincoln

• "Creating a Rainbow Garden"; Wendell Niepagen, of Wendell Niepagen Gardenhouses, Bloomington

• "Orchids"; Tom Gephart, Prairie State Orchid Society, Springfield

• "Vegetable Gardening"; Jennifer Fishburn, University of Illinois horticulture educator for Logan, Menard, Sangamon Unit

• "A Year at the Pumpkin Patch"; Gail Sasse, of Gail's Pumpkin Patch, Beason

• "Water Gardening 101"; Kathy Mundell-Bligh, member of Central Illinois Water Gardeners and University of Illinois McLean County Master Gardeners

Registration fee is $12 at the door.

To view the seminar brochure online, visit the Logan-Menard-Sangamon website, http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/. For more information, contact Amy Hyde at 217- 732-8289 or [e-mail].

[Text from file received from Amy Hyde, University of Illinois Extension in Logan County]