BILOXI — Regina Pavlov wants to transform her yard’s landscape from drab to fab and hoped she’d find inspiration at the 12th annual Gulf Coast Garden Patio Show.
When she and her daughter Rachal Pavlov walked into the Coast Convention Center, they were met with the smell of the outdoors, bursts of spectacular color from flowering blooms and plenty of trees and shrubs in various hues of green.
“I wish it was all in my yard,” she said.
The three-day event ends today. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $6, and free for children 12 and younger.
Rudolph Hall with the Mississippi Nursery Landscape Association said the garden show has seen good crowds despite the cold weather.
Ted Battley, owner of Gulf Breeze Landscaping of Gautier, is a first-time vendor.
“We’ve heard good things about it,” he said.
Battley, who started his company 32 years ago, saw a good response during the show’s first two days.
Battley said he and his two sons can turn customers’ landscaping ideas into real yards for homeowners and businesses.
Most who stopped by his booth inquired about low-maintenance options.
“A lot of people are talking to us, seeing what we have,” he said.
Many customers at the show took advantage of the free convenient holding area, which was staffed by students from the landscaping department at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Perkingston campus. Customers can send their purchases there to wait for pickup at the rear of the convention center, Hall said.
More than 60 vendors are set up at the show with a variety of merchandise including flowers, plants, trees, equipment, accessories, pools, pottery and even food and jewelry.
Seminars today are “Preparing Your Home for a Wildfire” by the state Forestry Commission at 11:30 a.m., “Powerful Garden Color” by radio personality and author Nellie “Garden Mama” Neal at 12:30 p.m. and “Fearless Entertaining Favorites” by co-author Catherine Strange at 2 p.m.
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