New this year is “The 15-minute Gardener”. While gardening is a wonderfully relaxing activity, life can be hectic! Experienced members of the Tallahassee Garden Club (TGC) want to help you get your garden going and growing quickly. Throughout the day, there will be demonstrations of various garden-related topics and all demonstrations are less than 15 minutes long! You will not become an instant expert, but you will certainly get enough to get started!

Marion Dunn starts participants on the journey to floral design with Look Ma—I’m a Designer. This district flower show judge will show you the basics and you can take it from there. Turn those flowers from Publix or your yard into a cohesive design that will have your friends amazed at your creativity!

If you think dirt is dirt, you need to work with TGC President Lana Arnold and get The Low Down on Dirt. Soil is complicated, but it is the foundation of gardening. Let Lana help you get yours in shape for 2013!

To Mulch or Not To Mulch—is that your question? Let Laura Harrod help you find the answers to: what is mulch, what kind of mulch, how much mulch, and most importantly, how to apply mulch. Did you know you put your plants at risk by applying mulch incorrectly? Get the basics with Laura for good growing.

There’s a Hole in My Pot! If there is a hole in the pot, how do I keep the dirt in? Patricia Sanford, a former TGC President, will show you how to pot a plant in a container and how to choose the right pot (And, Yes, that hole in the bottom is important!).

Virginia Thorne knows why your amaryllis bulb is not blooming. During Help! It Won’t Bloom, she will show you why and show you how to get it to bloom. Amaryllis are not finicky, they are just a little different. A few small changes can give you gorgeous blossoms—maybe for a floral design.

Ever looked at your bushes and thought You Need A Haircut!? Even well behaved shrubs will benefit from some deliberate pruning. Let Amanda Adams guide you to better pruning—chain saws not required! Your plants will love you for it! P.S. You might even learn how NOT to be a “crape murderer”—well worth 15 minutes of your time, don’t you think?

If you thought Space Invaders was a video game from the 70”s, just take a look in your yard or neighborhood! Do you know what poison ivy looks like? Do you have Japanese climbing fern? Find out which plants are now considered invasive and what you can do about them from a former TGC President, Jana Walling. Warning, invaders can show up in the best of gardens and yards!

It’s “Southern Hospitality” in Tallahassee at The Garden Center on Saturday, April 20 from 9 am to 2 pm. Visit the flower show inside, visit the booths outside, learn about various gardening topics, have a snack, meet old friends, make new ones! Y’all come!

Click here to see the 15 MINUTE GARDENER SCHEDULE.