Flex your green thumb at Hill Country Lawn & Garden Show
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — With the winter weather fading, our attention now turns to our lawns and gardens. But, sometimes, they need a little more than our attention.
Let’s face it: They need help.
Or, maybe, you’re just getting into gardening and don’t know where to start. Or, you’re an expert seeking new ideas and the latest tools and techniques.
Well, the Highland Lakes Master Gardeners are looking out for all of us with the 16th annual Hill Country Lawn & Garden Show on March 29 at the Burnet Community Center, 401 E. Jackson St. The show is 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Admission is free, but the knowledge you get, well, is priceless.
“Anybody can come and learn new things or get some new ideas, whether they’re a beginner or somebody who has been gardening for years,” said Val Klaudt, one of the show’s organizers. “We started it in 1998, I believe, as a program where we were able to reach out to the public and help them with their gardening and lawns. It’s a community event.”
The show features plenty of vendors selling gardening products, plants and other supplies. But it’s not just a place to come and spend money. You also can learn a great deal through the various booths and demonstrations.
“It’s a little different this year,” said Sharon Jenson of the Highland Lakes Master Gardeners. “In the past, we would have some people give lectures, but, this year, we’re going to be holding demonstrations throughout the day.”
The demonstrations include container vegetable gardening, Hill Country grasses, rainwater harvesting, compost tea, worm casting (composting), Texas native bulbs as well as square-foot and keyhole gardening.
“This show is a service to the community to let them know what gardening opportunities are available and to help them find things they need to make their gardening fun and productive,” Jenson said.
This is definitely a family-friendly event.
“We’ll have a children’s booth that will have some pretty exciting projects for the kids,” Jenson said. “We really want to get the kids interested in gardening. It’s a great way for them to get outdoors, and it’s fun.”
Klaudt, a Master Gardener herself, said she continues to learn about gardening.
“I love the challenge of gardening,” she said. “There’s always something new to learn or discover.”
And, for the rest of us, one of the best places to learn or discover is the Hill Country Lawn & Garden Show.
Go www.burnetcountyhighlandlakesmastergardener.org for more information.
daniel@thepicayune.com