Garden Plot

For those of us who are gardeners we know that when the ground is snow covered and the winds are blustery outside is when the best gardens are planned. The month of January and February is the best time to dream of the spring and summer gardens and usually the best place to do that is by visiting one of the numerous home and garden shows that take place in cities across the country.

Visiting a home and garden show is a great way to see what is new in the industry, but to also see it all under one gigantic roof. There are live demonstrations and all kinds of product for sale that can cut down on running around in the height of the season. I normally purchase my heirloom seeds during the visit to the shows. And with the price of gas, you can’t ask for a better deal.

You can learn about shows in your area by searching on your computer under “up-coming home and garden shows” and also keep your ears tuned to the local media as these shows are heavily-promoted.

As somewhat of an expert in show-hopping, here are a few tips that will help to make your experience a good one. Happy shopping!

  1. Purchase tickets to the show online to avoid spending time in line once you arrive.
  2. Visit the show website to view the map of the site in order to map out your day ahead of time. The shows are rather massive and can be overwhelming if you don’t have a plan.
  3. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. It is best to dress in layers and avoid heavy coats as the inside of the convention centers are warm and heavy coats can become hard to deal with.
  4. Take along a pad and pen to jot down notes
  5. Walk the show and make your purchases (write down locations) after you have visited everything. This will help to avoid carrying around your purchases.
  6. Ask a friend to join you. On that note I would discourage taking along very small children. This is a great outing for 8 years and above. If you have a child who tires easily, I would wait to take them along when they are older as they will not enjoy this after about an hour.
  7. Take along a camera to take pictures for reference later
  8. Plan to eat inside of the convention center and plan your meal during an off time rather than exactly at the lunch hour
  9. Have a blast!