Purdue News
Purdue News
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April 3, 1998
Plants a perennial favorite at Purdue's Hort Show, Spring FestWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Visitors to Purdue University's Spring Fest on April 18 and 19 will be able to learn about gardening, plants past and present, and the lumber profession at displays from the Departments of Botany, Agronomy, Forestry and Natural Resources, and Horticulture. Agronomy and botany activities on Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19, will revolve around the theme "Plants, Soils and Microbes in Action." At a tent behind Lilly Hall, adults and children can learn about the functions of spores during the "Spores Galore" presentation; genetic resistance to pests in plants; and pesticide safety. Another activity, called "Jurassic Bog," looks at contemporary and prehistoric plants, said Tony Swinehart, chairman of the education outreach committee in botany. This activity includes information on peat bogs, the history of West Lafayette's Celery Bog, climate change and fossils. "Because we're the botany department, we don't just study corn and soybeans. There are other important plants in the environment," Swinehart said. "We also have plant fossils that are over 5 million years old that were found in Indiana, and these can tell us much about past and future climates." The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources will link plants and the lumber profession on Saturday, April 18. Demonstrations held behind the Wood Products Laboratory will include tree climbing and a portable sawmill. Information on the timber industry will be provided, and there will be a contest to win the lumber cut by the sawmill. The 85th Annual Horticulture Show will prepare gardeners in time for spring planting. Sessions on April 18 include roses, house plants, native plants and horticulture and theme parks. On April 19, gardeners can learn about water gardening, herbs, and designing and landscaping a garden. All seminars and activities will take place in or around the Horticulture Building. Ten themed gardens will be on display during the weekend, including an herb garden, a rose garden, a rock garden, a shaded woodland garden and a formal garden. The gardens are designed and built in a temporary greenhouse by student members of the Horticultural Society. Gardeners and plant lovers can stock up on their favorite foliage at the Horticulture Club's plant sale. According to Greg Rostochak, Horticulture Show manager and a senior majoring in horticulture, ornamental shrubs, house plants, flowers, budding plants, trees, benches and birdbaths will be sold in the head house near the Horticulture Building. Spring Fest is sponsored by the schools of Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, and Consumer and Family Sciences. It offers nearly 100 different events, activities, demonstrations and seminars, including perennial attractions such as Bug Bowl, the horticulture show and a veterinary medicine open house. For more information about Spring Fest, call (888) 398-4636 or check out the Spring Fest Web Site at http://www.anr.ces.purdue.edu/anr/sfest/sfest98.html
Sources: Tony Swinehart, (765) 494-4623
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