Arkansas Flower and Garden Show marks silver anniversary
If you like to garden then you will want to join us for Silver Celebrations – 25 years of gardening in Arkansas at the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show (AFGS) Feb. 26-28 at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. The AFGS is the largest three-day celebration of gardening in the state. This year is the silver anniversary.
award winning display
The goal of the show is to showcase gardening across our state and teach people how to become better gardeners. From the food we eat to the green spaces we enjoy, we all benefit daily from horticulture. Visitors come to get inspired for spring, and learn about gardening, plus shop for their homes and gardens.
You don’t want to miss out on this jam-packed weekend of outstanding seminars, glorious gardens and plants and garden items for your home and garden. Experts in all aspects of horticulture will be on hand to answer your gardening questions. The show is open from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27; and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28. Tickets are $10; children ages 12 and under get in free.
Display gardens are the highlight of the show and give gardeners a lot of inspiration. Gardening “how-to’s” take place on the show floor every 30 minutes. The Federation of Garden Clubs has its standard flower show and the Professional Florist Association has a live competition on Friday from 10 a.m. to noon. A special event, “Rock in the Garden,” with live music and demonstrations, is set for Friday from 5-7 p.m.
Sunday is Family Day. There will be children’s hands-on gardening workshops in the Fulton and Pope rooms beginning at 11:30 a.m. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Seminars
If you are seeking education, you won’t want to miss out on the seminar schedule for Friday and Saturday.
Friday Seminars
10:30 a.m. – Crimes Against Horticulture: When Bad Taste Meets Power Tools Billy Goodnick, landscape architect, author, educator
11:45 a.m. – How to Build 5-Star Hotels in Your Backyard for Butterflies and Birds Jane Gulley, Pulaski County Master Gardener
1 p.m. – Design Like a Pro: Demystifying the Art of Garden Design Billy Goodnick, landscape architect, author, educator
2:15 p.m. – Is Your Yard a Salad? Lois Chaplain, author of “The Southern Gardener’s Book of Lists”
Saturday Seminars
10:30 a.m. – Busy Bees: Good for Your Gardens
Jon Zawislak, entomologist, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
11:45 a.m. – Azaleas Revisited Dr. Gerald Klingaman, professor emeritus of horticulture, University of Arkansas
2:30 p.m. – Silver Plants Make Color Pop Janet Carson, horticulture specialist, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show is a non-profit organization. Proceeds from the show fund scholarships for students majoring in horticulture or related fields at Arkansas universities and community colleges. Proceeds from the show also fund the Greening of Arkansas grant program, which provides grants to Arkansas communities for public spaces to enhance the beauty of Arkansas. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.argardenshow.org.
Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.