What's Happening in Crystal Lake, IL…

A full day of instruction in various aspects of gardening will be presented through a range of special classes in Crystal Lake next month.

Gardenfest, Ready, Set, Grow, an eight-hour series of lectures by McHenry College experts and special guests, will be open to avid gardeners and wannabe green thumbs.

The day will begin with a comedic look at gardening from a disinterested spouse’s point of view. Keynote speaker Neal Sanders will present Gardening is Murder, in which he shares good and bad gardening tips and discusses topics such as why the value of gardening labor should never be calculated.

Other sessions will include topics such as native shade plants, edible landscaping, an introduction to soils, beneficial insects, how to use herbs, and an introduction to beekeeping.

Several sessions will be interactive with hands-on instruction on container gardening and planting a conifer bonsai. The day will also include tours of the college greenhouses and their hydroponic systems.

Participants have a choice of paying for a general registration, which includes continental breakfast and lunch, or adding workshops that require extra fees for materials. Organizations such as colleges that plan special sessions such as these often use poster printing to advertise them.

Gardenfest will be held on Saturday, April 11 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry College in Crystal Lake.