CROWN POINT | Whatever the weather outside, it’s perpetual summer at the 11th annual Garden Pond Expo at the Lake County Fairgrounds’ Industrial Arts building this weekend.
Sponsored by the Illiana Garden Pond Society, the expo has transformed the building into a wonderland, complete with trees, blooming floors, bubbling fountains, elaborate ponds and outdoor living spaces.
“We try to make it look like you’re walking through a garden,” said Pam Manwaring, an Illiana Garden Pond Society member. The expo displays took five days to construct under the direction of chairperson Kathy Bartley.
The event continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Admission is $5 for adults; children younger than age 15 are admitted free.
Local landscapers, garden centers, outdoor lighting experts and designers are among the 57 vendors with displays that showcase their specialties. Visitors will also find an array of other garden-oriented products including Japanese Koi, pond supplies, garden and bedding plants, vegetables, outdoor lighting, birdhouses, handmade garden art and outdoor décor.
A 4,000-square foot area, Enhancing Your Outdoor Living, is a joint project of Gardens on the Prairie and South County Landscaping. Here visitors can wander through exhibits of outdoor living spaces accented by water features, trees, shrubs and flowers.
“We really support local businesses and small home-based businesses,” Manwaring said. “We also have a number of not-for-profit organizations here. It’s a good showcase for them.”
The money collected through admissions is used to install educational ponds at area schools, nursing homes and other sites, she said. One of those sites is Eagle Park School in Crown Point, a part of the Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative for students with developmental disabilities.
“We use the pond for math and science projects. For example, we figured out the weight of water to fill the pond and weighed the fish in the pond,” said Joe Power, a staff member at Eagle Park School. “Our students also designed a feeding system for the fish.”
A booth filled with pottery and glass art projects made by Eagle Park students is raising funds to purchase clay, glaze and glass for the next school year.
Mother and daughter team Rose and Mickie Neises of Boone Grove said they regularly attend the Garden Pond Expo to get ideas for their extensive gardens.
“We have a bog garden, a vegetable garden and a water garden. We have our own greenhouses,” said Rose Neises as they looked for carnivorous plants offered by Anything Orchids of Frankfort, Ill. “I’d like to raise carnivorous plants.”
Carnivorous plants attract and destroy bugs, said Don White, owner of Anything Orchids.
“If you have a lot of plants and have trouble with bugs eating them, put some of the carnivorous plants near them and you won’t have any bugs,” he said. “That way, you don’t poison yourself with pesticides.”
Bill and Linda Uporsky of Portage said they are regulars at the expo. This year, the couple bought bulbs they plan to immediately plant in their garden, and a small flower vase that attaches to a mirror.
“We won a door prize,” said Bill Uporsky, holding up a wooden garden sign inscribed with the phrase “Plant your dreams and watch them grow!”
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