MUSCATINE, Iowa–Though the recent snow storms and colder days have made it feel as if spring will not come for some time, gardeners know that warmer days will arrive soon, with planting season just around the corner. As the time for working in the garden draws near, the Muscatine County Master Gardeners invite anyone interested to register for this year’s Art of Gardening, set for March 18 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado Street in Muscatine.
As part of the event, participants can sign up for five breakout sessions that interest them, three in the morning and two in the afternoon. These sessions will cover a variety of topics, such as overviews of the Bee City USA program and the basics of organic recycling with Jon Koch, director of the City of Muscatine Water and Resource Recovery Facility; selecting and caring for shade plants with Mary Danner; and properly amending soil with Virgil Schmitt of ISU Extension and Outreach.
At the suggestion of previous Art of Gardening attendees, this year’s event will feature several new hands-on sessions. Lana Artz-McComb will teach participants how to compost food waste with worm bins and send people home with their own for $5. For $45 each, gardeners can discover how to create a spring door swag or table runner with Kathy Haltmeyer, make a fountain from terra cotta pots with Deb Walser, or assemble a charming fairy garden with Muscatine County Master Gardener Mary Wildermuth.
For the first time this year, attendees will also get to listen to a keynote speaker along with their lunch, catered specially by A Guy and a Grill. Aaron Steil, consumer horticulture extension specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, host of the IPBS show “Gardening with Steil,” and Iowa Public Radio’s “Hort Friday” segment on the “Talk of Iowa” program, will address the group on preparing gardens for spring.
Throughout the day, approximately 20 vendors will have their wares for sale, both for Art of Garden attendees and the general public. With a variety of started plants, books about gardening for all ages, and garden art available, shoppers will find useful items for their own gardens or wonderful gifts to give to gardening friends. Muscatine County Master Gardeners will have a new heather gray long sleeve t-shirt available for $25 and tote bags with red accents available for $15, with all of the proceeds going to local scholarships.
An opportunity to learn and to embrace the start of spring, Wildermuth hopes that many people will take part in the Art of Gardening and take advantage of the different educational and social opportunities it provides. “I think you’re coming off of winter and your excited to see people who like to garden, and this is a great place for it,” she said.
Anyone who would like to register for the Art of Gardening may do so by completing a hard copy form available at either Muscatine Community College or the Muscatine County Extension Office, located at 1601 Plaza Place in Muscatine. Registration costs $50 per participant, plus the cost of any hands-on workshops they elect to do. Attendees must complete their registrations and turn in their payments by March 10.
