Whiteside Master Gardeners will be hosting a gardening workshop on Saturday, May 18 from 1:00-4:00pm at the Whiteside Extension Office, 12923 Lawrence Rd., Sterling, IL 61081. There will be topics of interest for everyone from the novice to the expert gardener. Individuals of all ages will learn something new and take home useful materials. The afternoon will include three separate sessions entitled: 1) Shade Gardening, 2) Grace of Gardening, and 3) Hands on Creations.
While Hosta plants come in varied colors, sizes, textures and bloom times, there are many more shade loving beauties from which to choose, which will often give the gardener a similar effect. Whiteside County Master Gardeners have prepared a Demonstration Shade Garden at the University of Illinois Extension office situated on Lawrence Rd in Sterling. The Demonstration Garden is a communal project of active Master Gardeners, as members brought plants from their personal gardens to share for the project. One Master Gardener is, and continues to be, the coordinator, designing the layout for the plants in order to maximize each plant’s unique qualities and display each properly. The plants are labeled with a corresponding booklet describing the color, size, bloom time and distinguishing features of each individual plant.
At the Master Gardener Gardening Extravaganza Workshop on May 18, there will be a presentation explaining the varieties of shade plants contained in the Demonstration Garden, as well as a tour of the Demonstration Garden. Each participant will receive the Shade Garden booklet. The presentation will include shade loving plants not in the demonstration garden.
Registration fee for the Garden Extravaganza Workshop is $15; which includes cost of all take home materials. Online registration can be made at go.illinois.edu/GardenDay2018. For more information, please contact Mary at the Whiteside Extension office at 815-632-3611.