From the Ground Up: An unusual gift for your special gardener

We are in the midst of the gift giving season and have shared some great gift ideas for the gardener in your life. But the Linn County Master Gardeners have a very special gift opportunity for you. For the first time we are offering gift certificates for the Winter Gardening Fair. Just buy the gift certificate, and that special gardener in your life can use it to register for workshops on Jan. 4 when registration opens for the event. Any area gardener enthusiast would be thrilled to spend a day with garden experts sharing ideas and gathering tons of information.

What is the Winter Gardening Fair? It's one of the largest volunteer events of its kind and it's taking place right here in Cedar Rapids. It's an all-day event of workshops and hands-on classes presented by the Linn County Master Gardeners and the Iowa State University Extension Service.

The Winter Gardening Fair will be held on March 5 at Coe College. The day kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with a keynote speech in Sinclair Auditorium. Then attendees can attend four different workshops, which they select from a list on the Linn County Master Gardener website. Registration is easy - just choose your classes then sign up online, or fill out a registration form and mail it in.

There are more than 70 workshops covering a range of topics. There are classes for everyone, from the novice gardener to the seasoned veteran. Community gardens, herbs, vegetables, perennials - you name it, the subject is discussed. Come to the fair for tips about landscaping, how to start seeds at home, gardening safely, quilt gardens, lavender - it's all there.

There will be hands-on classes teaching you how to create a fabric birdhouse, how to create and maintain Bonsai, how to build a bee house, or how to create a fairy garden. Common garden problems are discussed, as well as new alternatives for ash trees or ideas for creating a butterfly garden.

Cost of the fair includes lunch at the Coe cafeteria. And there's also the chance to talk to horticultural organizations and societies as well as vendors. Attendees will have plenty of time to chat with others about all those garden topics so near and dear to their hearts.

This is a great gift for the gardener in your life - the gift of an entire day to spend focusing on spring and the upcoming growing season. For complete details about the fair, visit here.

' For gardening questions, call the Linn County Extension Master Gardener Hortline at (319) 447-0647.