The Hendricks County Master Gardeners have will hold four free educational sessions during their annual "Gardening for All Ages" show on Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds & Conference Complex in Danville, Ind. The sessions, held in conference rooms 1 and 2, last approximately 45 minutes and are appropriate for both beginning and advanced gardeners.
• At 10:00 a.m., "Fall Gardens" will be presented by Master Gardeners Chuck and Pat Dallas, who have been gardening and canning together for 34 years. They will discuss plant selection and care for fall vegetable gardens.
• At 11:00 a.m., "Plant Propagation Basics," will be presented by Master Gardener Magen Eller, who holds a B.S. in Crop Science and a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding. She will explore plant propagation from cuttings and cover how to do leaf, stem, or root cuttings from different plant types.
• At 1:00 p.m., "Growing Orchids" will be presented by Dick Wells. owner of Hilltop Orchids, Indiana's largest orchid growing facility. Wells will educate attendees on simple ways to care for orchids at home, as well as insights into orchid varieties that do well in home environments.
• At 2:00 pm, "Worm Composting" will be presented by Master Gardener Becky Troutman, who has been gardening since she had a small plot outside her childhood playhouse. She'll be explaining how easy and inexpensive it is to start a composting system. "The results can be educational as well as useful," Troutman says. "One is able to see nature at its composting best and have nutrient rich soil to fertilize plants inside and outside the home."
Gardening for All Ages is a free event featuring gardening exhibits, free seeds, speakers and advice, and, for the first 500 visitors, free trees. A flower-themed Children's Booth will have games and other fun for tots to pre-teens. More than 40 garden-related exhibitors will offer plants, garden décor, bird-watching supplies, lawn care supplies and more.