2026 Schedule
March 6, 2026
10:30 am
Landscaping for Wildlife
Treasa Brookman, Master Gardener with the University of Illinois since 1993. Treasa studied native plants and will discuss what you should grow to attract wildlife to your property.
11:30 am
Felder Rushing
Felder is a retired Extension Horticulturalist, who now lives in Mississippi with his celebrated gardens and spending 6 months in his Victorian Terrace Horticulture Garden in Lancashire, England. Felder travels worldwide, has been featured in New York Times and Southern Living magazines. He is the Q & A guy for HGTV. Felder has written 33 gardening books, including Passalong Plants, Slow Gardening, Better Homes & Garden Childen's gardening books.
1:00 pm
Selective Bird Feeding
Steve & Regina Garr, owners of Birds-I-View. They have spent many years helping others to enjoy and learn more about native wild birds. You will learn who eats who out of what type of feeder, feeder placement, cleaning, bird baths and more!
2:00 pm
Ticks
Tersa Steckler, University of Illinois Extension Specialist, Agri Natural RSRSCIII Com AG, cow/beef specialist.
There are many tick species in the United States, but in the last few years have you been thinking those nasty little bugs are everywhere? The cause - ticks are increasing their numbers and different species are moving to new areas. Increasing tick borne diseases and changing tick population dynamics and detection of Asian Long Horned ticks, may necessitate changes in how you or family members, including pets, venture outside. This talk aims to inform attendees of where ticks are found, identify the pathogens they carry and how to reduce tick bites. We will also discuss citizen scientist program which aims to map tick locations, identify pathogens they carry and help prevent the spread of the potential risk of vector-borne diseases.
3:00 pm
Growing and Using Medicinal Herbs
Terry Hickey. Owner/General Manager of Dayempur Herbals of Carbondale, IL.
Southern Illinois' diverse ecosystem allows you to grow a variety of medicinal herbs. Terry Hickey will share what she has learned about growing medicinal herbs for the purpose of making herbal supplements and personal care products. Each herb has its own personality and unique growing and harvesting requirements. Learn about annual and perennial herbs that can be used for medicine.
March 7, 2026
10:00 am
How to find an Owl in your Neighborhood
Mark H X Glenshaw, Naturalist who closely observes and documentd the lives of Great Horned Owels in Forest Park, St. Louis, MO.
11:00 am
Wintering in England
Felder Rushing, Retired Extension Horticulturalist and author.
Felder will give you a picture of his Victorian Terrace Horticulture Garden in Lancashire, England and his gardening experiences in the England winters.
12:30 pm
Food/Cooking Class - TBD
1:30 pm
Therapeutic Benefits of Working with Plants and Nature
Jane Chapman, Perry County U of I Master Gardener
Jane will explore the therapeutic benefits of working with plants and nature. No matter your physical conditions, everyone can benefit from horticulture therapy. She will discuss how long it has it been around, what are the benefits, and how good it is for your health.
2:30 pm
Getting Started with Native Plants
Laurie Henderson, Clinton County U of I Master Gardener
How to enhance your landscape and help pollinators with native plants that are easy to grow and maintain. Uncover the importance of natives and the benefits of natives to gardeners. Get to know species that work well in the home landscapes and what to look for when buying native plants. Join us - All participants will be entered into a drawing for a garden sign.
3:30 pm
Illinois Most Underrated Native Plants and How to Grow Them
Sam Dublo, amateur botanist, ecology stude at SIUE and owner of Sam's Native Nursery in Grafton, IL
Sam will share is experience with native plants, including endangered species. His nursery grows over 150 species of plants.