LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS
DIY’ers learn how to bring your home to life, from area experts.
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SHOW SCHEDULE
Eastern Iowa Home & Landscaping Show schedule of events.
Friday
6:00 pm
Top 10 Gardening Blunders – and How to Avoid Them!
Speaker: Don Engebretson
Sure, gardening is fun, soothing, enriching and all of that, but don’t always believe it when you see a landscaping project described as “easy,” or a plant touted as “foolproof.” Fact is, gardening is a lifelong learning process that involves more than a little guesswork, serendipity, and experimentation. Down the road, every gardener is sure to discover that startling success sometimes goes hand-in-hand with staggering failure.
Don Engebretson, The Renegade Gardener, wants to help gardeners severely limit the “staggering failure” part of the equation, and does so in his presentation, “Top 10 Gardening & Landscaping Blunders—and How to Avoid Them.” This is Don’s classic and most famous presentation, guaranteed to zoom audiences through a large portion of the gardening learning curve with plenty of laughs along the way.
A nationally recognized authority on landscaping and garden design, Don speaks frequently at industry events across the United States and Canada. He has been a featured speaker at over 100 consumer shows, industry trade shows, university extension forums and trade symposia across the US.
Don has published five books on gardening and landscaping. For over a decade he was a field editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens and garden editor and columnist for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. For four seasons he was the gardening expert on HGTV’s TIPical MaryEllen show and served as landscaping consultant and on-camera garden design expert for the PBS Television series HOMETIME.
His articles on gardening, landscape design, and the landscaping industry have appeared in many local, regional, and national magazines and newspapers, including Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, Garden, Deck and Landscape, Northern Gardener and the Seattle Times. Don is a five-time winner of the Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award for excellence in garden writing.
Credentials
- University of Minnesota Master Gardener, Hennepin County
- Member, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association
- Member, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
- Member, Garden Writers Association
- Past officer and board member, Minnesota State Horticultural Society
- Owner, Renegade Gardener Landscaping
Writing Awards
- Minnesota Better Newspaper Award, Columns, 1999
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2000
- Minnesota Magazine Association Silver Award of Merit, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2002
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2003
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2005
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2007
Saturday
11:00 am
Embrace Your Shade: Plants and Design Tips for Shady Spaces
Speaker: Don Engebretson
Garden long enough and eventually you’ll be a shade gardener. Tree canopies spread and shrubs loom large, to the point where some (if not a majority) of your landscape will at some point be less than sunny. Don’t fret! Gardening in shade unleashes a whole new world of fabulous perennials, shrubs, and, yes, even trees.
Designing gardens and landscapes where the sun don’t shine offers many advantages over those sun-drenched areas. This talk will cover some fabulous shade and partial shade plants, plus give gardeners a vast array of design tips so that those shady areas can be the parts of your yard that dazzle most. Includes handout.
A nationally recognized authority on landscaping and garden design, Don speaks frequently at industry events across the United States and Canada. He has been a featured speaker at over 100 consumer shows, industry trade shows, university extension forums and trade symposia across the US.
Don has published five books on gardening and landscaping. For over a decade he was a field editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens and garden editor and columnist for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. For four seasons he was the gardening expert on HGTV’s TIPical MaryEllen show and served as landscaping consultant and on-camera garden design expert for the PBS Television series HOMETIME.
His articles on gardening, landscape design, and the landscaping industry have appeared in many local, regional, and national magazines and newspapers, including Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, Garden, Deck and Landscape, Northern Gardener and the Seattle Times. Don is a five-time winner of the Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award for excellence in garden writing.
Credentials
- University of Minnesota Master Gardener, Hennepin County
- Member, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association
- Member, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
- Member, Garden Writers Association
- Past officer and board member, Minnesota State Horticultural Society
- Owner, Renegade Gardener Landscaping
Writing Awards
- Minnesota Better Newspaper Award, Columns, 1999
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2000
- Minnesota Magazine Association Silver Award of Merit, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2002
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2003
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2005
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2007
2:00 pm
Gardening for the Birds, Bees & Butterflies
Speaker: Don Engebretson
It’s the number one trend in gardening, and in this concise and authoritative talk, Don presents not just the procedures but the best plants and design tips to create an essential sanctuary for pollinators as well as our larger feathered friends. Includes valuable handouts with details on the best native pollinator perennials for your specific market area, best trees and shrubs for bird habitat plus best local resources for plants and information.
A nationally recognized authority on landscaping and garden design, Don speaks frequently at industry events across the United States and Canada. He has been a featured speaker at over 100 consumer shows, industry trade shows, university extension forums and trade symposia across the US.
Don has published five books on gardening and landscaping. For over a decade he was a field editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens and garden editor and columnist for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. For four seasons he was the gardening expert on HGTV’s TIPical MaryEllen show and served as landscaping consultant and on-camera garden design expert for the PBS Television series HOMETIME.
His articles on gardening, landscape design, and the landscaping industry have appeared in many local, regional, and national magazines and newspapers, including Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, Garden, Deck and Landscape, Northern Gardener and the Seattle Times. Don is a five-time winner of the Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award for excellence in garden writing.
Credentials
- University of Minnesota Master Gardener, Hennepin County
- Member, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association
- Member, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
- Member, Garden Writers Association
- Past officer and board member, Minnesota State Horticultural Society
- Owner, Renegade Gardener Landscaping
Writing Awards
- Minnesota Better Newspaper Award, Columns, 1999
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2000
- Minnesota Magazine Association Silver Award of Merit, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2002
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2003
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2005
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2007
4:00 pm
Design Secrets to a Beautiful Yard & Garden
Speaker: Don Engebretson
What makes a garden beautiful? Why is it that some gardens look pleasant, while others take your breath away? Why does the landscaping surrounding one home look perfunctory, while that of another makes the pulse drop and the spirit soar?
These are the questions landscape designer and writer Don Engebretson has asked himself during his years as Field Editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Engebretson believes he has discovered the answer—five design principles that are always present in America’s finest private residential gardens.
A nationally recognized authority on landscaping and garden design, Don speaks frequently at industry events across the United States and Canada. He has been a featured speaker at over 100 consumer shows, industry trade shows, university extension forums and trade symposia across the US.
Don has published five books on gardening and landscaping. For over a decade he was a field editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens and garden editor and columnist for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. For four seasons he was the gardening expert on HGTV’s TIPical MaryEllen show and served as landscaping consultant and on-camera garden design expert for the PBS Television series HOMETIME.
His articles on gardening, landscape design, and the landscaping industry have appeared in many local, regional, and national magazines and newspapers, including Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, Garden, Deck and Landscape, Northern Gardener and the Seattle Times. Don is a five-time winner of the Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award for excellence in garden writing.
Credentials
- University of Minnesota Master Gardener, Hennepin County
- Member, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association
- Member, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
- Member, Garden Writers Association
- Past officer and board member, Minnesota State Horticultural Society
- Owner, Renegade Gardener Landscaping
Writing Awards
- Minnesota Better Newspaper Award, Columns, 1999
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2000
- Minnesota Magazine Association Silver Award of Merit, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2002
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2003
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2005
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2007
Sunday
12:00 pm
Common Gardening Myths and the Mayhem They Cause
Speaker: Don Engebretson
They are as common as deer, as persistent as Japanese Beetles and as tough to wipe out as Creeping Charley: erroneous myths about garden plants, products and procedures that cost gardeners time and money while actually harming the look and health of their yards, gardens and landscapes.
In this fast-paced primer, Don dispenses the false notions created by common gardening myths by replacing error with the truth about fertilizers, wood mulch, landscape fabric, chemical products, lawn mower settings, planting procedures, soil amendments, and many more.
A nationally recognized authority on landscaping and garden design, Don speaks frequently at industry events across the United States and Canada. He has been a featured speaker at over 100 consumer shows, industry trade shows, university extension forums and trade symposia across the US.
Don has published five books on gardening and landscaping. For over a decade he was a field editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens and garden editor and columnist for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. For four seasons he was the gardening expert on HGTV’s TIPical MaryEllen show and served as landscaping consultant and on-camera garden design expert for the PBS Television series HOMETIME.
His articles on gardening, landscape design, and the landscaping industry have appeared in many local, regional, and national magazines and newspapers, including Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, Garden, Deck and Landscape, Northern Gardener and the Seattle Times. Don is a five-time winner of the Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award for excellence in garden writing.
Credentials
- University of Minnesota Master Gardener, Hennepin County
- Member, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association
- Member, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
- Member, Garden Writers Association
- Past officer and board member, Minnesota State Horticultural Society
- Owner, Renegade Gardener Landscaping
Writing Awards
- Minnesota Better Newspaper Award, Columns, 1999
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2000
- Minnesota Magazine Association Silver Award of Merit, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2002
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2003
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2005
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2007
2:00 pm
Yes You Can! Landscape Design for Homeowners
Speaker: Don Engebretson
What’s more DIY than gardening? Except homeowners discover that planting a shrub is one thing; creating a professional, functional design plan for their property is another.
This new presentation was created by Don as a result of consumer demand. “I want to landscape my own yard but don’t know the steps, or where to begin,” is something Don has heard a thousand times. Don takes your audience through every step of the design process and instills in them the knowledge and confidence they need to create the beautiful yard, garden, and overall landscape they have always wanted.
A nationally recognized authority on landscaping and garden design, Don speaks frequently at industry events across the United States and Canada. He has been a featured speaker at over 100 consumer shows, industry trade shows, university extension forums and trade symposia across the US.
Don has published five books on gardening and landscaping. For over a decade he was a field editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens and garden editor and columnist for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. For four seasons he was the gardening expert on HGTV’s TIPical MaryEllen show and served as landscaping consultant and on-camera garden design expert for the PBS Television series HOMETIME.
His articles on gardening, landscape design, and the landscaping industry have appeared in many local, regional, and national magazines and newspapers, including Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, Garden, Deck and Landscape, Northern Gardener and the Seattle Times. Don is a five-time winner of the Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award for excellence in garden writing.
Credentials
- University of Minnesota Master Gardener, Hennepin County
- Member, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association
- Member, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
- Member, Garden Writers Association
- Past officer and board member, Minnesota State Horticultural Society
- Owner, Renegade Gardener Landscaping
Writing Awards
- Minnesota Better Newspaper Award, Columns, 1999
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2000
- Minnesota Magazine Association Silver Award of Merit, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2001
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Quill & Trowel Award, 2002
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2003
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2005
- Garden Writers of America (GWA) Garden Globe Award, 2007
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The Eastern Iowa Home Show began in 1952 and has been an Iowan favorite for decades since. With the natural addition of outdoor living and landscaping, the Eastern Iowa Home & Landscaping Show is an annual event that brings you the latest technology, décor and function for your dream home.
