As the weather finally warms up, homeowners are eager to plan their outdoor projects.
First-time homeowner Erik Nelson, 28, of Brandon walked booth to booth Sunday at the Sioux Falls Lawn and Garden Show at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds, asking every question he could think of.
With spring on its way, he and his wife want to put their own stamp on their new home.
The plan: Plant a few fruitless crabapple trees and maybe even a red oak tree in the yard and build a fence around it.
Nelson said he plans to take all the information he gathered home to his wife, discuss it with her, then get to work.
“We want to put our own footprint on the house and someplace we can hopefully start a family,” he said.
The Lawn and Garden Show featured landscaping and garden displays, seminars, presentations, demonstrations and hands-on activities to help homeowners get ready for spring and summer. About 100 vendors were set up.
The Minnehaha Master Gardeners put on the seminars and workshops.
Thousands learned how to garden in a bale of hay, design a creative garden or dehydrate foods, and about bees and butterflies — and pests, too. Experts answered questions on the best lawn management practices.
“This is a great place to come, they have so many ideas,” event coordinator Tawy Kaup said. “If you’re a new couple, it’s fun to come get your scrub ideas, your stepping stone and kind of create your own retreat right in your backyard.”
Sioux Falls couple Justin and Emily Gislason, too, decided it was time to spice up their home. So for the first time, they went to the lawn and garden show.
Talks ranged from expanding their deck area to landscaping, and what seemed most important — a flag.
“We’re seeing what kinds of ideas are out there. Seems like there’s always a new way get something done,” Justin Gislason said.
Before leaving, the couple added two new lawn ornaments to their collection: a giant frog and a small turtle.
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