Garden events are plentiful for the rest of the summer and this fall. Some are nearby while others are out of state. Some are free, others charge to cover expenses. Gardeners who wish to plan a day trip have some great opportunities to learn and have fun at the same time.

August

• Grand opening of Big Back Yard at Memphis Botanic Gardens —  $5.8 million project features 16 unique and imagination-inspiring areas for children to learn and explore; the Botanic Gardens, owned by the city and managed by a private foundation, includes 25 garden experiences on a 96-acre site; open daily, small admission charge;  www.memphisbotanicgardens.com.

September

• Sept. 1 – First Tuesday Garden Talk – Noon; Warren County Extension Office; Donna Beliech, horticulturist with the MSU Extension Service; “Pest Identification and Control.”

• Sept. 20 – MS Old Garden Rose Society Meeting – Forestry and Agriculture Museum, 1150  Lakeland Drive, Jackson 3-5 p.m., learn more about care and culture of old garden roses; $20 individual, $25 couple membership fee, meets  third Sunday of September-June; www.msogr.com

• Sept. 24–26 – Old Salem Landscape Conference — Restoring Southern Gardens and Landscapes, Winston-Salem, N,C.; garden tours, presentations on heirloom vegetables, bulbs, roses, native plants, fruit trees, garden restorations and plant sale of Southern heirloom plants; $320 by Sept. 1 or $100 for students; 336-758-5900; www.oldsalem.org.  

• Sept. 26 – MS Native Plant Society Annual Meeting — Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve near Moss Point; walk through pitcher plant bog at 8 a.m.; registration at 9:30 a.m.; presentations by Fred Nation, South Alabama naturalist, author and photographer; Dr. Mac Alford, assistant professor and curator of the USM herbarium; and Dr. Richard Brock, Mississippi Entomological Museum director; 601-483-3588 or e-mail: gail@gailbarton.com.

October

• Oct. 6 — First Tuesday Garden Talk – Noon at the Warren County Extension Office; Donna Beliech, horticulturist with the MSU Extension Service, “Awesome Autumn Color.”

• Oct. 16-17 — Fall Flower & Garden Fest — Truck Crops Experiment Station, Crystal Springs, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m.; largest home gardening show in Southeast includes speakers, ethnic gardens; educational exhibits; plant; food vendors  and test plots for new ornamentals and vegetables; free; 601-892-3731; www.msucares.com/fallfest.

• Oct. 16-17 – Southern Garden Symposium — St. Francisville, La.; speakers include Dr. William Barrick, director, Bellingrath Gardens; Peggy Cornett, director, Monticello Center for Historic Plants; Tres Fromme, assistant designer, MESA; Buddy Lee, inventor of Encore azaleas, azalea expert Margie Jenkins, author  and gardening personality Felder Rushing; and floral designer Joe Smith; $60/per day, includes lunch; 225-635-3738;  www.southerngardensymposium.org

• Oct. 21 — The 54th Edward C. Martin Landscape Design Symposium — 9 a.m.-noon, Bost Extension Auditorium, MSU campus,  Inside/Out, our total living environment, green design and its influence; Dr. Jim DelPrince, floral design professor with elegant floral table designs; Bob Brzuszek, Department of Landscape Architecture assistant professor with inexpensive but creative garden transformations; and Gail Barton, Mississippi Native Plant Society and retired horticulture professor with ideas from her Meridian garden; for tickets, send $20 check payable to Mississippi State University and mail with name and address to Department of Landscape Architecture, Box 9725, Mississippi State, MS. 39762 before Oct.16; www.lalc.msstate.edu/.

• Oct. 24 — Designing and Creating a Food Forest — Permaculture workshop with author Toby Hemenway 20 miles south of  Jackson; 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; $20, bring lunch and beverages; Hercules@untameslife.com or call 601-951-7724 .

November

• Nov. 3 — First Tuesday Garden Talk — Noon; Warren County Extension Office; Donna Beliech, horticulturist with MSU Extension Service, “Get Out Spring Blooming Bulbs.”

December

• Dec. 1 — First Tuesday Garden Talk – Noon; Warren County Extension Office; Donna Beliech, horticulturist with MSU Extension Service, “New Year Garden Task Calendar.”

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If you just need to stay home and work in your garden, check out msucares.com and warrencountymastergardeners.com for helpful information on gardening questions and ideas.

Miriam Jabour, a Master Gardener and master flower show judge, has been active with the Vicksburg Council of Garden Clubs for more than 20 years. Write to her at 1114 Windy Lake Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39183.