2014 CT Flower and Garden Show in Hartford CT

33rd Annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show

February 20-23 at the Connecticut Convention Center

If you are as tired of this winter’s deep freeze as I am then the  Connecticut Flower & Garden Show – one of the largest and most prestigious flower shows in New England, is for you!

The 33rd Annual event will take place this Thursday, February 20 through Sunday, February 23, 2014 at the Connecticut Convention Center on 100 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford. 

Hours: 
Thursday, February 20 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 
Friday, February 21 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; 
Saturday, February 22 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and 
Sunday, February 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The colorful, fragrant show will cover almost three acres with the 2014 theme, “Backyard Paradise”, with wonderful ideas for homeowners and apartment and condo dwellers alike. 

Admission Info: 
Cash Only. 
$16 Adults; $14 Seniors Age 62 and Over on Thursday/Friday only; 
$4 Children 5-12; Free under age 5 – 
Group rates for 15 or more people: contact (860) 844-8461 or Kristie@northeastexpos.com.

Highlights include:

Twenty (20) gardens filling over an acre, created by professional landscape designers and nonprofit organizations, and include naturalistic, low maintenance and organic gardens.

Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s 2014 Advanced Standard Flower Show: 12,000+ square foot design and horticulture competition with more than 250 judged entries, all with a Backyard Paradise theme! Focal point is a grassy area with a fire pit and four different gardens with native Connecticut plants.

Hundreds of displays and activities and aisles of fresh flowers, plants, garden ornaments, herbs, bulbs, seeds, fertilizers, soils, gardening books, patio furniture, ornaments and lawn equipment for purchase, floral and garden arts & crafts. People can bring a 1/2 cup of soil to the UConn Co-op booth for free soil testing.

More than 80 hours of seminars by horticulturists and experts including:

• Lorraine Ballato of Brookfield - "Foolproof Hydrangeas" and about "Vegetables Contained";
• Bob Buettner of East Hartford - "Floral Arranging";
• Tom Christopher of Middletown - "Low Maintenance Lawns";
• Mike & Angelina Chute of Riverside, RI - "Six Simple Steps to a Successful Rose Garden";
• Pamm Cooper of Storrs - "Butterfiles in Connecticut; The Food they Need As Adults & Larva";
• Phil Costello of South Hadley, Mass. - "Landscape Lighting";
• Tammy Cressotti of Granville, Mass. - "Introduction to Beekeeping";
• Anita Dafonte of Newtown - "Organic Vegetable Gardening" and on "Starting Seeds";
• Lelaneia Dubay of Hartford - "The Process of Landscape Design";
• Nancy DuBrule-Clemente of Northford – “Fearless Pruning" and about "Blended Gardens";
• Dr. Wade Elmer of New Haven - "Fighting Fusarium in Flowers";
• Maureen Hasley-Jones of Old Lyme - "Mother Earth";
• Rose Hiskes of New Haven - "Protecting Our Trees From Asian Longhorn Beetles & Emerald Ash Borers";
• Nick Mancini of Westport - "How to Grow True Organic Seeds"; 
• Tovah Martin of Roxbury - "The Unexpected House Plant";
• Kerry Mendez of Ballston Spa, NY - "Three Seasons of Outrageous Color from Perennials" and about "Simplifying Gardens";
• Penny O'Sullivan of Stratham, NH - "Fabulous Foliage: Year-Round Color with Trees & Shrubs" and about "Painless Pruning - Simple Solutions for Healthy Plants";
• Dawn Pettinelli of Storrs - "Fertilizers" and about "Soils for Gardeners";
• Peter Picone, author & wildlife biologist - "Ways to Create and Enhance Wildlife Habitat in Your Surroundings";
• Rich Pomerantz of Washington Depot - "Art in the Garden" and about "Relax, It's Only Garden Photography";
• Carol Quish of Storrs - "Pests in the Perennial Garden";
• Mark Richardson, New England Wild Flower Society in Framingham, Ma. - “Sustainable Horticulture - Redefining the American Landscape”;
• Experts from SavATree: The Tree & Shrub Care Company - "Choosing the Right Tree for the Right Location", about "Organic Lawncare", and about "Protecting Your Landscape from Deer Damage";
• Dr. Neil Schultes of New Haven - "Genetically Modified Crops";
• Paul Split of Bourne, Mass. - "Gardening Under Glass" and about "Organic Container Gardening with Herbs"; and
• Rob Townsend of Portland - "Watergardens".

Show sponsors include B & P Turf Farm, Goodyear Farms, T.J. Bark Mulch, Bob Kelly Florist, Inc., Bedard Enterprises, and North East Expos, Inc.

For full information about the 2014 Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, seminars, and driving directions, visit www.ctflowershow.com or call North East Expos, Inc. at (860) 844-8461.