Arkansas Flower and Garden Show Celebrates 25 Years Feb. 26-28, 2016

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LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show celebrates its silver anniversary at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock from Feb. 26-28, 2016. To add some particular sparkle to the show’s “Silver Celebrations” theme will be speakers Jane Gulley and Jon Zawislak. 

Gulley will be talk about how to build five-star hotels in the backyard for butterflies and birds. Learn what plants are most desired by butterflies and birds as well as how to arrange these plants to make a yard most attractive to these creatures. Gulley also will cover what butterflies need in a landscape besides plants to make them happy as well as what birds need to successfully nest and thrive.  

"With some planning, your backyard can become your own retreat with all the excitement, surprises, awe and wonder that is provided by watching and learning from wildlife,” Gulley said. 

As a Pulaski County Master Gardener, Gulley serves as co-chair of the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center native gardens, and her own garden has been featured on several local television affiliates. Her bald eagle conservation program became a nationwide model and led to her induction into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame. 

Zawislak is a honey bee specialist and entomology instructor with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and will speak about Busy Bees: Good for Your Gardens. Honey bees and native bees are all essential for pollinating gardens, farms and wild areas so it’s vital everyone does his or her part to protect and encourage pollinators in back yards and natural areas.

Zawislak is a master beekeeper with a background in both botany and entomology, and he is equally at home in the classroom, the laboratory and the apiary. He is passionate about bees and conducts research and education on pollinators across the state, and he and his family operate the Walnut Valley Honey Company in Little Rock.   

"Bee pollinators are essential for many of our favorite fruits and vegetables,” Zawislak said. “They also are necessary for a lot of our ornamental plants and trees that enhance our landscapes. Bees ensure the survival of many species of birds and other wildlife that depend on the seeds and berries that bees help produce. Even if you don't want to manage colonies of honey bees, maintaining a bee-friendly garden enhances the quality of life in your whole neighborhood.” 

Tickets to the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 60 and older, and children 16 and younger are free. Attendees also can get a three-day pass for $12. Proceeds from the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show provide educational scholarships in horticulture related fields to students in Arkansas colleges and universities and funds for the Greening of Arkansas Mini-Grant Program. 

For more information about the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, visit http://www.argardenshow.org or visit extension's Web site, www.uaex.uada.edu, or contact your county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your county office or research and extension center as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay. 

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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu

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