Gardening seminar topics run the gamut

The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show’s featured gardening seminars will meet in the Farm and Ranch Building on the State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard St., Little Rock.

■ FRIDAY, MARCH 2

10 a.m. Integrated Pest Management in the Vegetable Garden

Patrick Byers, regional horticulture specialist with the Webster County office of the University of Missouri Extension Service, will teach about integrated pest management. He will emphasize using multiple methods of pest control to minimize harm to humans, beneficial insects and the general environment. Besides proper use of pesticides and smart plant selection, he’ll explain the amazing arsenal of biological controls and how to grow vegetables in a way that wards off pests.

———————— 11:15 a.m. Home Landscape Problems and Solutions

Allen D. Owings, professor emeritus of horticulture at Louisiana State University, will explain the power of basic, good-sense cultural practices that lead to healthy landscape ornamentals. Are we planting the right plant in the right place? Are we aware of our soil conditions? Do we plant when we should plant? Is dead-heading needed? Do we build the beds correctly? Do we mulch correctly? …

———————— 12:30 p.m. Drought Tolerant Plants for Your Garden

Byers will explain how to limit how much water your landscape needs using good design, choosing appropriate plants and tending the plantings. Gardeners in this session will learn tips on making wise use of water from 25 years’ experience in the Green County, Mo., Master Gardeners’ Waterwise Garden (look up “Demonstration Gardens” at mggreene.org).

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1:45 p.m. Don’t Be a Garden Snob

Carol Mendel is a lifetime Master Gardener with a background in interior design whose experience of gardening in rocky soil while fending off deer has inspired her passion for time-tested, common plants. New introductions on the market are exciting, but don’t snub the plants your grandparents trusted. Just because a shrub can grow in the middle of an intersection doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be in your garden.

■ SATURDAY, MARCH 3

10 a.m. Blackberries for the Home Garden: An Excellent Choice!

John R. Clark directs the UA Division of Agriculture fruit breeding program and has developed more than 50 varieties of fruits. His work in blackberries is recognized worldwide, making him the authority on the famous blackberry varieties developed in Arkansas. He will highlight some of the best blackberry choices for the garden and how to grow them.

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11:15 a.m. New Flowers for Your Spring Landscape

Owings will present a thorough overview of new annual bedding plants and herbaceous perennials. He will highlight petunias, coleus, ornamental sweet potatoes, begonias, vinca, torenia (wishbone flower), marigolds, salvia and many more species. Emphasis is placed on plants for reliable performance from spring through fall.

———————— 12:30 p.m. Basic Backyard Garden

Jill Forrester and her husband built Whitton Farms, where they grow Certified Naturally Grown produce, and the farm-to-table Trolley Stop Market restaurant in Memphis. She will discuss seed starting, how to add nutrients to your soil, the use of plasticulture or landscape fabric, and drip irrigation. She reviews the top 10 crops and varieties that do well in Arkansas, provides companion planting tips and explains how to get rid of pests organically.

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1:45 p.m. Easy Care Annuals and Perennials

Janet Carson shows you how to make gardening easier and more fun by planting annuals and perennials that are easy to care for, beautiful and interesting, too. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist, Master Gardener state coordinator and UA Extension consumer horticulture specialist advocates starting smarter by selecting less-pampered plants.

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/JANET B. CARSON University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture plant pathologist Sherrie Smith uses her microscope to diagnose problems brought in by visitors to the annual Arkansas Flower and Garden Show.