If you have a green thumb or simply love the sight and scent of beautiful flowers, the 10^th annual Florida Wildflower and Garden Festival is a must-do event. The beloved local festival kicks off on April 2^nd in Historic Downtown DeLand and will feature a wide variety of activities, speakers and other highlights to enjoy.

In today’s blog, we’re sharing a few of the festival features we are most looking forward to.

Gardening in the Shade

Here in Florida, we love to enjoy our daily dose of sunshine… but we also know there’s often a need to cool off under the protective barrier of shade through trees and manmade structures. However, just because your home incorporates shade into your outdoor entertaining space doesn’t mean you have to go without beautiful flowers! Craig Huegel, owner of Hawthorn Hill Nursery—and knowledgeable author, educator and naturalist—will be delivering a talk on the ins and outs of gardening in the shade at 2 p.m. in the Athens Theatre.

Seed Ball Demo

You may not have heard about seed balls—or, as they are sometimes called, seed bombs—but these clever horticultural tools are extremely helpful in promoting the growth of seeds. You can learn more about seed balls—and even enjoy a hands-on demo—10:30 a.m. at Chess Park.

Propagating Wildflowers 101

If you’re interested in the role and growth of wildflowers in natural settings, this talk is for you. Speaker Dena Wild is a former city planner/urban designer and sits on the Florida Wildflower Foundation Board. This session takes place 1:30 p.m. at Chess Park, and promises to provide valuable information to gardeners of all types.

Fun for the kids

While your kids may not avid gardeners just yet, they can still find something special to do at this year’s festival. At 11:30, kids will be able to meet with animals from the Central Florida Zoo. Additionally, all day long, the Museum of Art – DeLand will be providing art activities for young creators to enjoy.

Something to bring home

Whether you’re looking for the perfect patio planters, unique art pieces or seeds to start your garden, you’ll be able to find what you need (and more) among this year’s vendors.

More to enjoy

Fortunately, your day of fun doesn’t have to end with the Wildflower and Garden Festival. Enjoy the great weather and take a complimentary shuttle over to Earl Brown Park for the DeLand Outdoor Art Festival. At this favorite local event, you’ll be able to enjoy live music, delicious food and great company, so it’s worth visiting!

Do you plan on attending this year’s festival? We hope to see you there! There will be plenty of experiences to enjoy—and you’ll be sure to bring home a few new additions for your garden at home, too.