CRYSTAL SPRINGS -- Leisure gardeners and horticulture professionals are invited to attend the Southeast’s most popular gardening show Oct. 17 and 18 at the Mississippi State University Truck Crops Experiment Station.

The Fall Flower & Garden Fest draws more than 5,000 people to Crystal Springs each year to get the latest recommendations for plants and gardening techniques. Specialists with the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Master Gardeners and others will offer information on native plants in the landscape, fruit and vegetable crops for the home, rain barrel construction, flower arrangements, herb use and more.

Event hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. Educational seminars begin at 9:30 each morning. Admission and parking are free. Food and drinks will be available from vendors both days.

The two-day event is themed “Healthy Living-Healthy Gardening.” The Let’s Go Walking Mississippi initiative will kick off the fest with a one-mile fun walk at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 17.

MSU specialists will conduct informational walking tours of the demonstration gardens throughout the event. Topics include gardening accessibility, pond management, high tunnels, landscape plants, insect identification, plant disease, home lawn management, flower gardening, vegetable gardening and herb gardening. Wagon tours of the 175-acre research site also will be offered.

More than 60 vendors will have plants, yard art and garden tools for sale.

Smartphone users can download an application with complete schedule information at http://guidebook.com/g/ffgfest.

For more information contact Rick Snyder at 601-892-3731 or rick.snyder@msstate.edu.