Lake County is hosting the second-annual Central Florida Landscape & Garden Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 20 and 21, at the Lake County Agricultural Center’s Discovery Gardens, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares. The keynote speakers for the event are Robert Bowden, executive director of Harry P. Leu Gardens; and Tom MacCubbin, extension agent emeritus with the University of Florida IFAS.
“Water conservation is becoming very popular, especially among horticulture enthusiasts,” said Juanita Popenoe, director of the UF/IFAS Lake County Extension. “Make-and-take rain barrels will be available and a water-conservation specialist will present on how to make the most of water resources.”
The fair will provide thousands of residents and visitors an opportunity to meet with, and purchase goods from, exhibitors that specialize in landscaping, gardening, irrigation, horticulture, fertilizer and more. Other speakers will cover topics on bees, solar power, turf-less landscape, using irrigation controllers, cooking with herbs, gardening with worms, square-foot gardening, wildflowers and backyard fruit.
Master Gardeners will be stationed in seven featured gardens for the “Ask the Master Gardener” event. They will be available to answer specific questions regarding these gardens: cottage, tropical shade, butterfly, palm walk, herb, nectar and camellia shade garden.
The Lake County Public Resources Department will host children’s activities in the Children’s Garden. The activities are free, and include access to the Butterfly House, a self-guided maze and an activity with seeds. A passport program will allow children to visit seven gardens for validation and receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich.
Speaker and workshop times may be found online. For more information about the event, visit www.lakecountyfl.gov/cflgf, or contact Tina Chavez at 352-343-9647 or [email protected].
