Muscadine Field Day
9 a.m. to noon.
The vineyard is located at the McNeil Unit of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in Pearl River County. "Almost every named muscadine variety in existence is included in this vineyard," said event organizer John Braswell, a horticulture specialist with the MSU Extension Service. The event will provide information on planting or expanding a muscadine vineyard, as participants will have the opportunity to evaluate numerous muscadine varieties. Specific topics include trellis construction, vine establishment and the muscadine breeding program. The event will conclude with a tour of the muscadine vineyard. The event is free, and preregistration is not required. To get to the McNeil Experiment Station, take the McNeil exit off I-59 and go west to Highway 11 in McNeil. Drive south on Highway 11 for about 2 miles. The vineyard is on the left across the highway from a catfish restaurant. For more information, contact Braswell at (601) 403-8939 or braswell@ext.msstate.edu; or Carolyn Smith, (601) 403-8940 or carolynk@ext.msstate.edu.
Crosby Arboretum - MUSHROOM WALK
Family Event
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Bring your collecting basket and join Dr. Juan Mata, who is back again this summer to treat us again to a guided mushroom walk of the Arboretum grounds. His students at the University of South Alabama have called him "the best biology teacher in the south", so please come and enjoy this time with him while learning about fungi's fascinating ecology, taxonomy, and relationship to mankind. Program is free to members, $5 for non-members. Please register by August 27. For info www.crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu.
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center
The 11th Annual Hummingbird Migration Celebration!
Hummingbird Viewing Areas
Guided Wagon Rides and Nature Walks through Strawberry Plains Audubon Center's 2600-Acre Nature Sanctuary
Kids' Nature Tent; Live Animal Shows; Resources for Creating a Wildlife-Friendly backyard. Native Plant Sale. Experts on Conservation, Ecology and Sustainability
Local Artists and Vendors Selling Crafts, Art, Bird Feeders, Gifts, Souvenirs, etc. (Bring Cash!) strawberryplains.audubon.org
662-252-1155
Mississippi Gourd Festival
Mississippi Gourd Society will be sponsoring the first Mississippi Gourd Festival, Fri.-Sat., at the Smith County Ag Complex. Join us for some gourd fun, raw and crafted gourds, gourd crafting classes and demonstrations, gourd art supplies, good food and more. For information contact Mike or Michelle Thompson at 601-782-9444 or email: miketom1950@yahoo.com. or visit: www.mississippigourdsociety.org.
23rd Annual Mississippi Pecan Festival
Held in a 30 acre pecan orchard (Hwy. 15 South of Richton, in Perry Co.) with a family atmosphere including the following entertainment: arts & crafts, antiques, bluegrass & gospel music, mule pull, prettiest rooster contest, beauty pageant, live craft demonstrations, basket weavers, wheel pottery, loom weaver and spinning wheel demonstrations, chainsaw artist, living history farmstead, draft horse demonstrations, charity pecan bake-off and much more. Admission is $8 per person, children under 4 free. For more information call 601-964-8201 or visit www.mspecanfestival.com
Mid-South Native Plant Conference - Dixon Gallery and Gardens
With the theme "Natives and Beyond: Sustainable Plants, Gardens and Communities" the conference brings a world-class roster of nationally acclaimed horticulturalists, botanists, and other environmental experts to Memphis. The conference is hosted by Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 4339 Park Ave., Memphis, TN.
The purpose of the 2010 native plant conference is to promote awareness of the use of plant choices, horticultural practices and garden designs that work with nature and have a positive environmental impact. Attendees will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in sessions with world-class speakers who will provide the tools necessary for safe and ecological gardening to increase their own sustainability.
An optional guided field trip through Overton Park's Old Forest and private garden tours will be offered on Sunday, October 10. Cost is $100 with registration prior to September 1, 2010 and $125 after includes light evening refreshments, continental breakfast, box lunch and on-site vendor access. http://www.dixon.org
Fall Plant Sale
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sat 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Members Only Sale Grab a cart and choose from a variety of wonderful trees and shrubs for fall planting in your home landscape. Come early for the best selection of many hard-to-find plants. We'll help you select the right plant for the right place on your property. Free admission. Arboretum greenhouse. For more info go to www.crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu.
Fall Flower & Garden Fest
Friday and Saturday, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. both days, at the Truck Crops Experiment Station. Crystal Springs is about 25 miles south of Jackson. Food vendors will have food and drinks available.
This is the largest home gardening show in the Southeast. Average attendance is 6,000 people over the two-day event. Admission and parking are free. The garden, grounds, seminars, and one of the tour wagons are handicapped accessible. Let's Go Walkin' Mississippi will be on site to kickoff the 2010 Fall Flower and Garden Fest with a one-mile fun walk at 9:30 a.m. Friday, October 16. There will be a drawing for some nice door prizes (you must walk to win)! Also, be sure to visit their exhibit under the Main Tent.
There will lots of food to choose from -- ribeye steak sandwiches, catfish, BBQ plates, vegetable plates, hamburgers and hot dogs. For dessert, there will be cookies, cakes, and other snacks. The Chautauqua Garden Club will be selling homemade ice cream, including muscadine, blueberry, strawberry, and peach, plus a couple of "nutty" offerings. Be sure to visit the Copiah County 4-H Tent for hot and cold drinks all day. For more information contact your local Mississippi County Extension office, or call (601) 892-3731.
Historic Landscape Design Symposium
Noted historic landscape author Jim Cothran, Bob Brzuszek, and Michael Seymour present on historic landscapes of the South. Call Mississippi State University Department of Landscape Architecture at 662.325.3012 for details or visit http://www.lalc.msstate.edu/