Though it is still another weekend away, I want all of you gardening enthusiasts to mark your calendars for the 2010 Jackson Garden and Patio Show, which begins March 19 and continues through March 21 in Jackson.

Hosted by the Mississippi Nursery and Landscape Association, the Garden and Patio show features exhibits by horticultural and landscape vendors from throughout the region. Expect to see all the hot new indoor and outdoor plants, as well as gizmos and gadgets to care for them. Extension Service specialists assisted by Master Gardener volunteers will also be on hand to answer your questions.

John C. Coccaro is county Extension director. Write to him at 1100-C Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 or call 601-636-5442. E-mail him at jcoccaro@ext.msstate.edu.

If you go

The 2010 Garden and Patio Show will be at the Trade Mart building at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson March 19-21. Sessions will run from 10 to 5 March 19, from 9 to 5 March 20 and 10 to 4 March 21. Admission is $8 per person per day and children 10 and younger will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

The educational seminars scheduled for this year’s show are sure to draw capacity crowds with hot topics and popular presenters. 

Lori Hitchcock, co-owner of Natchez Trace Gardens, Kosciusko, will teach participants how to create designer-like mixed containers using the three keys to arranging with the hot new plants. Her presentation, Designing Mixed Containers, will enable gardeners to create incredible container plantings sure to be the envy of the neighborhood. Hitchcock will speak from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 19.

Nellie Neal, aka Garden Mama, has a one-hour presentation beginning at 11:45 a.m. March 19. Neal is a popular speaker and radio personality, and is the author of several gardening books. Her topic, Food Gardening Basics, will get you started with sustainable vegetable beds, smart plant choices and simple strategies that work. 

Erica Glasener, host of HGTV’s “A Gardener’s Diary” will present Designing a Garden for Four Seasons from 1 until 2 p.m. March 19. During this illustrated lecture, Glasener will teach about which plants to grow and combine to create a garden that offers striking foliage, beautiful blooms and interesting texture.

Linda Askey, a 21-year veteran with Southern Living magazine, will also teach a container garden lesson beginning at 10:45 a.m. March 20. Askey’s lesson, Elegant Style with Containers, will demonstrate what makes a successful container planting and how to create your own.

A personality familiar to many central Mississippi television viewers, Walt Grayson, host of “Looking Around Mississippi” and “Mississippi Roads,” will share his stories in a lecture called Mississippi’s Unique Gardens at 1:15 p.m. March 20.  

Scheduled for March 21 is Randolph Graves’ timely discussion on investing in the home landscape. Graves, a landscape architect and partner of Madison Planting and Design Group, will show how to develop outdoor spaces for family enjoyment. 

These are just a few examples of the seminars scheduled for the Garden and Patio show. The show will run from 10 to 5 March 19, from 9 to 5 March 20 and 10 to 4 March 21. Admission is $8 per person per day and children 10 and younger will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.