New Location and Format planned for March 17th Event
For the past nineteen years, the Cass County Master Gardeners have invited garden enthusiasts to learn about gardening through a daylong seminar of breakout sessions and hands on activities. 2018 marks the 20th year that the Cass County Master Gardeners will host a spring session on gardening, and the group is celebrating the milestone with a new format, new location and a prominent keynote presenter.
This year’s event, “GROW-Weaving Plants Throughout Your Life” will feature celebrity author and award-winning speaker, J Schwanke. Schwanke is a 4th generation florist, host and creator of “Fun with Flowers and J”, and a frequent guest on P. Allen Smith’s “Garden Home.” Regarded as the most trusted voice in the flower industry, J is the CEO of uBloom.com, the first online community for flower fans.
“For our 20th year, we wanted to do something different that everyone would enjoy,” says Cass County Master Gardener and event chairperson Lori Reid. “J is just as entertaining as he is informative. J has two books published and his own show ‘Life in Bloom’ on PBS. Everyone will complete the day with a smile as he shares his passion for flowers.”
“GROW-Weaving Plants Throughout Your Life” will be held on Saturday, March 17th at the Cass County Community Center and will open with keynote “How to Create Your Own Life in Bloom” by J Schwanke. Another new feature this year will be 80 minutes of “lightning learning” where attendees will have the opportunity to rotate between demonstrations on a variety of garden topics. A catered luncheon will be served while conference-goers enjoy a dessert demonstration by Janine Knop, aka Miss Nini, local baking celebrity and owner of Miss Nini’s Fine Desserts. Attendees will enjoy one of the featured desserts with their meal. A second presentation by J Schwanke entitled “Fun with Flowers” will complete the day.
Cost for the day, including continental breakfast, lunch and all session, will be $35. A schedule and registration form will be finalized soon, and available at the Cass County Extension office, or online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Previous attendees who received a “save the date” postcard in the mail will also receive a brochure with registration form in the mail. For more information, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email [email protected]. Mark your calendars now for March 17th and plan to join the Cass County Master Gardeners for the 20th Annual Spring Garden Seminar- GROW!