From Sara Holtz

DAYTON, Ohio— The Dayton Home & Garden Show’s Garden Academy will feature 60 seminars for the second consecutive year Friday, March 23 through Sunday, March 25 at the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St.

One-hour seminars will be held all weekend long as part of the Garden Academy series, free with show admission, followed by Q&A sessions in the lobby’s atrium.

Donell Heberer Walton, executive producer of HSI Show Productions, says Mark Webber, owner of Mark Webber’s Landscaping in Dayton, has recruited some of the Midwest’s most elite landscape designers, lawn care specialists and botanists to conduct presentations at the show.

“No pre-registration required, no limited space and no additional fees—you won’t find seminars or workshops of this kind anywhere!” Heberer Walton explained.

The “Academy Series” stage will host a seminar every hour, each day of the show on topics like:

• How to build a walk or patio
• New, exciting, sun-loving perennials
• Designing and building a water garden
• Shrub pruning 101
• How to stop emerald ash borer

In addition, novice or seasoned gardeners can find inspiration at the “You Can Do It” stage with step-by-step instruction, which includes:

• Vertical and fairy gardening
• Planning a fruit orchard
• Rain Gardens: Save water and help drainage
• New and exciting shade plants for 2012
• How to have a great lawn

As vegetable gardening is on the rise, the Garden Academy has several seminars lined up with a focus on container gardening, tips on how to harvest year-round and edibles like tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. “Guests will learn ways to save money and invest in better quality food by growing their own produce,” Heberer Walton said.

Landscape and horticulture professionals in need of certification can attend the Garden Academy series to earn continuing education credits on behalf of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association(ONLA) and Indiana Nursery & Landscape Association (INLA).

The show’s theme this year, “Let Us Entertain You!” reflects plans to engage, excite and educate guests with over 250 exhibitors and dozens of experts ready to share innovative ideas for home and garden maintenance and enhancement. An anticipated 13,000 showgoers will have the opportunity to compare and purchase the latest products in preparation for spring.

Guests can also browse the show’s special attractions—nine magnificent floral tablescapes, eight lavishly decorated rooms and five extravagant showcase gardens—and vote for their favorite in each category.

A new cooking stage will create and satisfy appetites as chefs provide demos, share scrumptious recipes and of course, offer samples.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8; $5 in advance for groups of 10 or more; children 12 and under are free.

Showgoers can download a $2 discount coupon or a buy-one-get-one-free coupon (valid Friday only) online. A one-year subscription to Better Homes & Gardens magazine comes as a gift exclusively to those who purchase full price tickets online.

For more details on the 16th annual Dayton Home & Garden Show seminar series, call HSI Show Productions at 800.215.1700 or log on www.daytonhomeandgardenshow.com for the complete schedule.