MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Garden and landscape enthusiasts will flock to the Fall Flower & Garden Fest at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs on Oct. 14 and 15 for the latest plant recommendations and information on urban trees.

The 27th annual fall fest will take place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. both days. Visitors can tour the three-acre vegetable, flower and herb gardens. Additional plots include ethnic, butterfly, hummingbird and shade gardens, the Mississippi Medallion Winners Garden and the All-America Selection Winners Garden. A new addition to this year's event will be several seminars on urban forestry, wagon tours of tree research at 9 a.m. each day and walking tours of trees in the afternoons.

Sponsored by Mississippi State University's Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the event attracts more than 6,000 people from across the region every year. In addition to the garden tours, visitors can view educational displays and demonstrations. Seventeen garden seminars on a wide variety of topics will be held each day.

Some of the topics included in the event are pond management, tree care and selection, climbing vegetables and flowers, ornamental grasses, backyard wildlife habitats, beekeeping and compost development. Family and consumer science exhibits, Master Gardener programs and a huge plant sale are also on the agenda.

The Truck Crops Experiment Station is located on Highway 51 in Crystal Springs, 25 miles south of Jackson. Take exit 68 off Interstate 55 to get there. For more information, contact your local county Extension office.