Make Every Drop Count: Spring Garden Fair Offers Drought Solutions
Thursday, March 13, 2025
WICHITA –With drought restrictions continuing into a new gardening season, the Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardeners take aim at helping the community address this issue by hosting the 2025 Spring Garden Fair on Saturday, May 3, 2025. This year’s theme is “Water – Every Drop Counts”, with all of the booths and hands-on activities focused on empowering individuals to adopt water-efficient gardening methods that will help conserve our most precious resource.
This family-friendly event will be open from 7:00am to 1:00pm, and will be held in 4-H Hall of the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center at 7001 W. 21st Street North in Wichita (SE corner of 21st and Ridge Road). Admission is free, and the first 200 visitors will also receive a free rain gauge. Attendees will discover sustainable, easy-to-implement solutions that will help the community create beautiful, water-smart gardens that benefit both the environment and their own homes.
“Ultimately, we want everyone in the community to adopt water-smart gardening practices for a greener tomorrow, and the purpose of this event is to show you how,” says Matthew McKernan, K-State Research & Extension – Sedgwick County Horticulture Agent and event organizer. “Dealing with drought and water restrictions can be a daunting task. It’s easy to become quickly overwhelmed or not be sure where to start. The goal of our event is to help attendees better understand the complexity of drought, and to have each participant leave confident in simple ways that they can conserve water in the landscape and still maintain a beautiful, water smart landscape.”
The Spring Garden Fair encompasses a variety of activities and interactive booths that are sure to inspire everyone for the spring planting season. Visit our educational booths and learn about water-wise landscaping techniques, native plants that can beat the drought, the earth’s water supply, and the journey of water from raindrop to faucet. Learn more about water conserving tools, including rain barrels, drip irrigation, and compost bins, and how they can help save water in your garden. Get to know how much water the plants in your landscape really need, and discover simple ways to measure your watering to ensure you are not over or under-watering. Youth will enjoy make-and-take creations.
Guided tours of the water-wise gardens on the Extension grounds, will also be available. Every half hour take a tour to see what is possible with minimal maintenance and water. Tours include: Water-Wise Plants Collection, Daylily Garden, Arboretum Trees, Pollinator Garden, Food Crop Demo Garden, Compost Bins, or the Nature Trail.
Browse the onsite Plant Sale and indulge your green thumb. The plant sale will offer a diverse selection of plants, including many hardy perennials and exciting house plants, ideal for gardeners of all skill levels. Supporting the sale also helps support the educational outreach of the local Master Gardener Volunteer program.
Visit the booths of many area Garden Clubs in attendance. The Herb Society of South Central Kansas will be offering breakfast and brunch for sale. In addition, demonstrations will be hosted throughout the day showcasing how to make your own tea blends using fresh grown herbs. Information on Chamomile, the 2025 Herb of the Year, will also be available.
Bring your gardening questions, and stop by the Garden Hotline booth to discuss your gardening issues with a Sedgwick County Master Gardener.
“We can all make small changes in our gardening practices that together will make a big impact in the community,” McKernan says. “We hope you will join us for this great event, and learn how you can be part of the solution for a greener, more water-wise future.”
Save the date for Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 and plan to attend this fun and educational come & go event. Admission is FREE. Bring cash or check for event purchases.
Let’s work together to conserve water, create beautiful gardens, and pave the way for a more sustainable future. Join us at the Spring Garden Fair and remember: Every drop counts!
View the event flyer here.
Source
Matthew McKernan
316-660-0140
mckernan@ksu.edu