Gardening show offers something for everyone

The ground may be frozen, but gardeners from around the area are already planning ahead for warmer weather.

The 9th Annual Gardening Show, sponsored by Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Porter County Exposition Center.

The show features presentations by gardening experts, a seed and bulb exchange, a photography contest and about 100 vendors. There is also going to be a children's area and a photography contest, said Marilyn Dyson, the show chairman.

The show began nine years ago as a small seed and bulb exchange, and grew over the years. Four years ago it got too big for its previous home at a school and moved to the exposition center, Dyson said.

The seed and bulb exchange remains a highlight of the show.

Every person will be given tickets for the seed and bulb exchange upon entering, Dyson said. People are also encouraged to bring clean, dry seeds to trade.

"They should be labeled with planting instructions," she said. "We'll also have seeds from master gardeners and from local nurseries."

The seeds and bulbs available typically range from common seeds like lettuce to exotic seeds for organic plants and seeds and bulbs for native plants and flowers.

There also will be live plants for sale and a booth where visitors may ask master gardeners questions about their own gardens.

About a dozen speakers who have come from around the country will be speaking about a wide variety of topics at the show, and there will also be demonstrations.

Topics will include raised bed gardening, emerald ash borers, growing native plants, how to have a healthy lawn, and creating temporary hothouses.

The keynote speaker will be Peter Loewer, who will be talking about "The New Small Garden." Loewer is a nationally known botanical artist and writer. The American Horticultural Society named his book "The Wild Gardener" one of the 75 best gardening books of the 20th century.

There will be a varied assortment of vendors at the show, Dyson said. Some will be commercial vendors selling items such as gardening equipment and lawn mowers. Others will be crafters selling their wares.

"We have Mom and Pop crafters selling canned jellies and pickles, candle makers and pottery makers," she said.

There will be a photography contest with prizes in a number of categories, including flowers, butterflies, bugs, fungus, wildlife and birds. The winning photos will be displayed in the Valparaiso Public Library in February.

Dyson said the garden show offers something for everyone.

"It's geared towards all levels," she said. "If you have any interest in gardening, there is something for you."

She said the show is full of ideas gardeners can apply to their own homes.

"If you don't walk away with ideas, it's because you're not paying attention," she said.