2017 Home Show includes lawn, citrus and landscape seminars

The 2017 Home Show will be held Feb. 25-26. It will include seminars dealing with lawns, garden and landscape.

This year’s Home Show, sponsored by the Building Industry Association of Okaloosa & Walton Counties (BIA), will include lawn, citrus and landscape seminars. The Home Show will be held February 25 and 26 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center on Okaloosa Island, located at 1250 Miracle Strip Parkway SE in Fort Walton Beach.

On Saturday, February 25 at 2 p.m., I will provide a seminar titled Pointers on Citrus Production in North Florida. This seminar will cover which citrus types are best for our North Florida climate and how to care for your citrus trees. We will also take a look at common pests, pruning and fertilization of citrus trees.

On Sunday, February 26 at 1 p.m., UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Andy Donatelli will provide a seminar titled Backyard Biodiversity. This seminar will help you design and/or restore your landscape and backyard to encourage nesting songbirds with the use of native trees and shrubs.

Also on Sunday, February 26 at 1 p.m., UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Karen Kirk-Williams will provide a seminar titled Creating a Florida-Friendly Cottage Garden Filled with Beautiful Flowers & Wildlife. This seminar will include information on recommended plants to create a pretty, environmentally-friendly garden for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

On Sunday, February 26 at 2:30 p.m., I’ll provide a seminar titled Should You Give Up on Your Florida Lawn? This seminar will cover common reasons for lawn decline and how to fix and prevent lawn problems. We will also take a look at how to correctly maintain a Florida lawn.

Okaloosa County Master Gardeners will have an educational booth to help answer gardening questions and provide lawn and landscape publications to attendees. Master Gardeners will staff their booth throughout the entire Home Show.

Tickets for the BIA Home Show are on sale now at all Eglin Federal Credit Union Branch locations for only $2 in advance. Tickets at the door are $5 per person with children 12 and under admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

The 2017 Home Show hours are Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 11a.m.–4 p.m.

Visit www.biaow.org for more info on the 2017 Home Show.

Larry Williams is the Extension horticulture agent with the Okaloosa County Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida. Contact Larry at 689-5850 or email lwilliams@co.okaloosa.fl.us.