2025 Gardener's Pathway and Artisan Market

$50.00
Registration closes on February 8, 2025

Join the DeKalb County Master Gardeners for a full-day gardening workshop.  Everyone from beginner to experienced gardener will find something new and interesting to learn about.  This workshop includes continental breakfast, keynote presentation, three breakout sessions, lunch, artisan's market and door prizes. 

Our keynote speaker this year is Kerry Ann Mendez, an award-winning garden educator, author and design consultant and proprietor of Perennially Yours based in southern Maine.  As an exceptionally popular educator and communicator, she has presented hundreds of lectures to thousands of gardeners in 23 states.  In 2014 she received the Gold Medal Award from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for “Exceptional teaching and writing that increases public enjoyment and appreciation of horticulture.”   Kerry Ann has written four gardening books, the most recent being The Budget-Wise Gardener and The Right-Sized Flower Garden.  Her monthly e-newsletters go out to almost 9,000 subscribers throughout the United States.  In 2016 Kerry Ann started producing international gardening webinars that have been enjoyed by thousands.  To learn more about Kerry Ann, please visit her website pyours.com. 

Book signing - Keynote speaker Kerry Ann Mendez will have copies of her books available for purchase and signing. 

Thank you Proven Winners for sponsoring this year's keynote speaker!  Proven Winners searches the world to bring you vibrant flowering annuals, perennials and shrubs that deliver the most beautiful garden performance.  Please visit the Proven Winners website for more information by clicking HERE.

Artisan Market - We will have an artisan market at Gardener's Pathway!  Local artisans will be selling all kinds of garden-related crafts and local nurseries will be selling plants and gardening items.  Bring your checkbook and be ready to shop!

Master Gardener Q & A Help Desk - Master Gardeners will be on hand to take your gardening questions.  Questions may require research, in which case an answer would be sent to you via email the following week.

7:30-8:30 am Check-In, Continental Breakfast, and Artisan's Market

8:30 - 8:45 am Welcome by Sheryl Nakonechny, DeKalb County Master Gardener

8:45-10:00 am Keynote Speaker: Kerry Ann Mendez
Clever Design Tips for Everblooming, Low-Maintenance Gardens - This inspiring lecture will surprise you with creative, easy-to-implement strategies for extending the blooms of popular plants for weeks!  Also showcased are time-saving design tips including distinctive plant combinations that provide unstoppable color spring through fall, as well as groundcover tapestries that smother weeds and delight pollinators.  You will also learn valuable lessons from before and after design projects to avoid costly landscape mistakes.

10:15 - 11:15 am First Breakout Session (Choose one):

Slow Flowers: Grow Your Own Cut Flowers by Candice Anderson, State Master Gardener Specialist - We emphasize buying your food locally, but why not your flowers as well? Join Candice Anderson to learn how to grow a variety of cut flowers here in Illinois, the benefits of having cut flowers in the garden, and how to condition them to be long-lasting. Candice will discuss her all-time favorite flowers to grow and share tips and tricks for success.

Best New Plants of 2025 by Kim Hartmann, Professional Landscape Designer - We will highlight the best new annuals, perennials, roses, vegetables, shrubs and trees for 2025.  Only those plants with unique new features that are successful in our region make the list.  Come be inspired by new colors, forms and textures in plants for your landscape, garden or containers.

Landscape Design Using the Principles of Nature and Japanese Philosophies by Catherine Marsh, Anderson Japanese Gardens - This presentation explores the concept of using form over function in landscape design to create captivating outdoor spaces. It emphasizes the artistic use of plants and materials to design natural elements such as floors, walls, and ceilings for outdoor areas. By carefully selecting trees, shrubs, and climbing plants, as well as integrating stone, wood, and other materials, you can create distinct zones and guide the movement within a space. The principles of Japanese gardens are explored to illustrate how they foster connections between indoor and outdoor spaces, emphasizing balance, simplicity, and natural flow. The concept of seasonality is also highlighted, showing how landscapes evolve through the seasons, enriching the sensory experience and maintaining a continuous bond between the built environment and nature. 
 
11:15 am - 12:15 pm Lunch and Artisan Market

12:15 - 1:15 pm Second Breakout Session (Choose one):

Gardening Simplified: Plants and Design Solutions for Time-Pressed and Maturing Gardeners  by Kerry Ann Mendez, Garden educator, author and design consultant and proprietor of Perennially Yours - Change happens. Job demands, kids, hectic schedules, aging bodies, and changing interests have led to gardens that are not in balance with our lifestyle. This inspiring lecture provides easy-to-follow right-sizing strategies, recommended no-fuss plant material, and design tips for stunning year-round gardens that will be as close to ‘autopilot’ as you can get. The lecture is based on my book The Right-Size Flower Garden.

Growing Culinary Herbs by Candice Anderson, State Master Gardener Specialist - Just about every dish tastes better with fresh herbs -- and there's no better way to get fresh herbs than to grow them yourself. Growing an indoor herb garden is a great way to extend the gardening season. Learn what herbs are great to grow indoors and how they can be utilized.

Seed Saving Basics: The Science, Art, and Joy of Saving Seeds by Ren Stewart, Master Gardener and member of the Seed Savers Exchange - Explore the fundamentals of the age-old practice of saving seeds.  Whether you want to save seeds for your own use, exchange favorites with others, preserve the story and seed of a family heirloom, or are simply curious about saving seeds, this session is for you.  All gardening experience levels are welcome.

Northern Illinois Trees by Kim Hartmann - Learn more about the value of various types of trees suitable for our Northern Illinois conditions.  We will share best practices about maintaining your trees so they thrive.

 Let's Talk Hostas by Molly Blogg, Owner of Hornbaker Gardens - Join this presentation to learn about new and noteworthy varieties of hostas, as well as varieties that have unique characteristics making them a 'must-have' for your garden.  Molly will also talk about growing hostas in containers and share which shade perennials are their favorite hosta companion plants.
 
Indoor Plants During the Winter by Christa Bormann, Heinz Brothers Garden Center - Keep your indoor plants thriving this winter.  Topics to discuss will be lighting, humidity, insect control, and pruning.

If you have questions please contact the DeKalb County University of Illinois Extension Office at 815-758-8194 or Connie Handel, Extension Program Coordinator at cahandel@illinois.edu.

University of Illinois, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Local Extension Councils Cooperating.  University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact the DeKalb County University of Illinois Extension Office at 815-758-8194.  Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your needs.