LITTLE ROCK — Some of the region’s top experts on horticulture, botany, pollination and other topics will be featured speakers at the 26th annual Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, taking place at the Statehouse Convention Center at Little Rock Feb. 24-26.
The Feb. 24 speaker lineup kicks off at 10:30 a.m. with Dan Scheiman, bird conservation director for Audubon Arkansas, a state office of the National Audubon Society. Scheiman will discuss birds who play the roll of pollinator, and the tight relationship between nectarivorous birds and their plants using examples from around the world.
Lissa Morrison, garden manager and designer for Fayetteville’s Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, will also speak at 10:30 a.m. sharing the history, development, and value of northwest Arkansas’ magical botanical gardens.
At 11:45 a.m., Pulaski County Master Gardener Jane Gulley will discuss the idea of “trees as storytellers,” while University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture extension horticulture specialist Janet Carson introduces attendees to the basics of vegetable gardening essential to begin growing fresh healthful food for the table.
Scheiman, Morrison and Gulley will give other talks and presentations throughout the weekend, as will many other speakers from around the region, including Miller County master gardener Debra Bolding, University of Delaware professor and chair of entomology and wildlife ecology Douglas Tallamy, Division of Agriculture extension horticulture specialist and professor Amanda McWhirt, president and CEO of Tulsa Botanical Gardens Todd Lasseigne and Richard and Andrea Cleaver, owners and operators of Culberson’s Greenhouse in Mayflower.
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Krista Quinn, executive director of the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, said attendees can look forward to insights into developing the kinds of gardens that will add to the enjoyment of their homes.
The show will feature nearly 100 vendors, as well as workshops, classes and a professional florist competition and juried flower competition, all held throughout the Statehouse Convention Center.
Tickets to the show can be purchased at the door or online. Single-day tickets are $10, and three-day passes are $15. Children 12 and under get in free. Details: www.argardenshow.org