Master Your Garden Expo

The Master Gardeners of Hamilton County, in association with the University of Tennessee Extension, present their 6th annual “Master Your Garden” Garden Expo on Saturday, April 14 from 10am to 6pm, and Sunday, April 15, from 10am to 5pm, at Camp Jordan Arena (323 Camp Jordan Pkwy, East Ridge, TN). Admission is $10 (cash or check only) and is good for both days. Children under 12 are free. Free parking is available. Proceeds from the 6th Annual Expo help fund MGHC scholarships for Agricultural and Horticultural students in Tennessee. For more information, go to: http://mghc.org/garden-expo/.

Focusing on gardening and the outdoors, MGHC’s “Master Your Garden” Garden Expo brings together a wide-ranging array of exhibits, demonstrations, educational activities, and vendors of interest to experienced gardeners, gardening enthusiasts, browsers, and children. Carol Mathews, 2018 Garden Expo Chair, comments, “Our goal is to bring the latest gardening information to the Chattanooga community. This year’s Expo offers a wide range of informative lectures and demonstrations, as well as our market place where people can browse a variety of exhibits, talk to knowledgeable vendors about plants, tools and garden art; and purchase a wide range of garden related items. In past years, people attending have stayed for hours partaking of our numerous and varied offerings; many have gone home with something beautiful and lasting for their own gardens.”

Events throughout the 2-day the Garden Expo include:

• 17 Lectures presented by local and out-of-town experts on subjects including: Basic Landscaping, Cactus & Other Succulents, Companion Planting with Herbs, Companion Planting with Mushrooms, Dahlias, Deer & Predator Invisible Fencing, Fall & Winter Vegetables, Ferns & Shade Plants for Southern Gardens, Gardening Small in Terrariums & Troughs, Good Bugs/Bad Bugs, Growing Wild Things in a Polite Neighborhood, Hydroponics, Nature Photography, Okra: A Southern Staple, Proper Planting of Shrubs & Trees, Spring & Summer Vegetables, Tomatoes!

• On-going Live Demos: Backyard Chickens, Composting, Insects & Butterflies, Proper Mulching, Rain Barrels, Raised Beds, Straw Bale Gardening, Therapeutic Gardening.

• Vendors & Exhibitors featuring: live plants, including flowers, shrubs and trees; landscaping and gardening and home supplies; as well as, foods, nature-related jewelry and artwork. Art & Jewelry: Algie’s Vintage Birdhouses, Claire Creations, Enchanted Earth Ocean Art, Linda Fraser Botanical Artist, Longaberger, Stone House Jewelry, Unique Craft Seagrass Baskets, Yard Critters. Body Care & Edibles: Angel Skin Body Care, Essentially Green, Honest Harvest, Jake’s Fresh Market & Cannery, Miss Ginny’s English Toffee, Momma Leslie’s Kitchen, Philip & Cindy’s Natural Teas, Spices, Herbs & Honey, Rosemary Knoll Eatable Delights. Home & Garden: Beaty Fertilizer, Earth Right Exterminating, Groundscape Concepts, Ironwood Tools, Leaf Filter Gutter Protection, Rose Gardener, Shine ‘n Dine. Landscaping & Plants: 2 Angels Mushroom Farm, Bees on a Bicycle, Bethlehem Gardens, Brocks Greenhouses, Bursting Blooms Landscape & Design, Cumberland Plants, Custom Landscape & Design, Down to Earth, Fern Ridge Farms, The Funny Farm, Green Thumbs Galore, Homescape Pros, Rare Trees, Rising Fawn Nursery, River Rock Gardens, Rustic Greenhouse, Silvers-Elbert Nursery, The Orchid Gallery, The OrnaMentor, TN Naturescapes, Urban Horticulture Supply. Wildlife: Erma’s Bees, Happinest Wildlife Rehab & Rescue. Local Groups: Chattanooga Area Food Bank, Chattanooga Association of Landscape Professionals, Chattanooga Herbies, Crabtree Farms, Rock City, Southeast Tennessee Iris Society, Tennessee Gardener, Tennessee Valley Bonsai Society, Tri-State Rose Society, Tennessee Valley Wild Ones.

• Bonsai Exhibit: Rare Specimens; Sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Bonsai Society

• Children’s Area (ages 2 to 12): Budding gardeners can engage in hands-on, gardening-related activities with a fun project to take home.

• Master Gardener Q & A Table: “We Teach You How!” Master Gardeners provide expert advice on maintaining an attractive and productive garden.

• Master Gardener Booth: “Who are the Master Gardeners?” Information about Master Gardener events and classes. Plus, Caladium bulbs for sale (12 for $10).

• Silent Auction: Items donated by our Expo Sponsors, Vendors, and Master Gardeners.

The Master Gardeners of Hamilton County is a non-profit, educational, volunteer organization that plays an important role in the civic life of Chattanooga and the surrounding area. Among the many on-going landscaping and garden partnerships undertaken by MGHC are: Bonny Oaks Arboretum, Chattanooga Area Food Bank, Chattanooga Aquarium Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden, Chattanooga Zoo, McCoy Farm & Garden, Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, and Siskin Children’s Garden, among others. For more information about MGHC programs, visit: http://mghc.org/.