Dirt Friends fest returns for garden, plant lovers
The Union County Master Gardeners have announced plans for the eighth annual Dirt Friends Festival, which is set for 9 a.m. until noon March 14 in the Family Life Center of College Avenue Church of Christ, located at 1817 N. College Ave.
Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. Admission is $10.
Norman Winter, a nationally known horticulturist, speaker, author and garden columnist, will deliver the keynote address.
Known as "The Garden Guy", Winter is the former director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm in Savannah, Georgia.
The CGBG is part of the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.
Winter has also previously served as manager of other facilities and organizations in the field of horticulture — including the Columbus Botanical Garden, the National Butterfly Center, the American Rose Society and the Texas Pecan Growers Association.
Over his 40-year career, Winter has hosted TV segments and radio shows focusing on gardening and has authored several books on the subject.
He is a sought-after lecturer who has developed a loyal following with speaking engagements across the country.
Winter will present two education sessions during the Dirt Friends Festival.
The festival is open to the public. Gardeners or anyone who is interested in gardening, including the well-experienced gardener to the novice, should attend, members of the UCMG said.
Master Gardeners is a volunteer organization that is sponsored by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Office.
The Union County group is made up of horticultural trained volunteers who work on several community gardens, host plant sales and offer numerous educational programs throughout the year.
For more information on the Dirt Friends Festival, call the Union County Extension office at 870864-1916 or send an email to ucmastergardener@suddenlink.net.