Brighten up your winter during the MSU Extension Smart Gardening Conference in Grand Rapids on Saturday, March 1, 2025! Held in tandem with the West Michigan Home and Garden Show, our day will be filled with excellent presenters!

The award-winning horticultural educator and former television host of an Emmy® award-winning gardening show, Bryce Lane will kick off our conference with his inspiring talk, The Craft of Gardening, about the power of plants to change your point of view!

This year’s lineup also features speakers from two of the Midwest’s most beautiful public gardens! The Director of Plant Collections at Chicago Botanical Garden, Adam Dooling, will give us an inside look at recent garden innovations, including exceptional plants, groundbreaking projects, and the exciting work shaping the future of horticulture. Then, Jamie Frye, the Associate Curator of Living Collections at Newfields, will take us on a vibrant adventure through their Spring Blooms exhibition, a living masterpiece featuring over fifty acres and three buildings of stunning vernal displays.

We are always excited to learn about the latest and greatest plant introductions! In her talk, Natalie Carmolli from Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs, will highlight hardworking shrubs that shine, featuring beautiful and smart plants that can combine form and function in our gardens.

Attendees can look forward to our Smart Gardening complimentary gift bag and a conference registration name-badge that provides free access to the West Michigan Home and Garden Show all weekend long! You will be thrilled with both the home and garden show vendors and our special selection of Smart Gardening Conference vendors. 

Register at:  https://events.anr.msu.edu/GR2025SmartGardeningConf/