OVER 80 HOURS OF EXPERT SPEAKERS, PART OF
FEBRUARY 20-23 CONNECTICUT FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW
AT CONNECTICUT CONVENTION CENTER IN HARTFORD
HARTFORD, CONN., February 4, 2025 – A full schedule of expert speakers is set for the “43rd Connecticut Flower & Garden Show”, starting Thursday, February 20 through Sunday, February 23, 2025, at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford, Conn.
Show Dates/Hours: Thursday, Feb. 20 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discounted admission tickets can be purchased now at www.CTFlowerShow.com, $17 for Adults and Seniors (same prices as last year).
New England’s ONLY 2025 major flower exhibition and show with will feature 150,000 square feet of expansive live gardens, nonstop seminars and demonstrations, the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s annual Standard Flower Show, and hundreds of exhibitors displaying and selling all types of items and gifts. The prestigious show’s theme this year is “Signs of Spring”.
“Over 80 hours of seminars and demonstrations will be presented by 25 impressive horticulturalists, landscapers, and industry professionals, and all are free with admission,” explains Kristie Gonsalves, President of North East Expos, Inc., the show’s longtime producer who is a Board member of the Home & Garden Show Executives International, and also is a past president of the National Association of Consumer Show Producers. “Attendance at these programs is included in the general admission and questions are welcomed by the speakers, many of whom will sell their own books after their seminars.” All sessions are Free with admission; the schedule is posted online at www.CTFlowerShow.com.
The following is the full list of speakers and topics:
- Denise Ciastko: Native Pollinator Seeds: “What is the Seed Saying?”
- Kathy Connolly: Leave the Leaves, Save the Stems; and another on Foundation Gardens and Native Plants.
- Christine Cook: Life With Joe-Pye-weed, a Pollinator’s Feast and another on A Dragon’s Lair, Creating Dragonfly Habitat
- Pamm Cooper: Lichens and Slime Molds of Connecticut.
- Nancy DuBrule-Clemente: Planning your Organic Edible Garden; and another on Growing Your Own Cut Flowers; and another on Native Plants for EcoRegion 59.
- Len Giddix: Broken Tulip Survivors! The Tulips that Cheated Death; and another on Your Garden Can’t Keep Its Mouth Shut!
- Nick Goltz: Be a Plant P.I.! Learn to Detect, Identify and Prevent Plant Diseases.
- Matthew Hargraves: Fine Art & Flowers at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
- Larry Huzi: Eco-conscious Contemporary Floral Designs.
- Donna Katsuranis: Meditation Gardens; and another on Moon Gardening.
- Amy Lopez: Therapeutic Horticulture.
- Jackson Madnick: Lawn Secrets & Tips to Better Existing Grass.
- Laurie Masciandaro: Connecticut’s Historic Gardens.
- Alastair Ong, Esq.: AI’s Top Secret Compost Recipe.
- Peter Picone: Plants Make a Difference for Wildlife.
- Jen Plasky: Perfect Performing Planters.
- Diane St. John: Every Yard Matters – How to Create a Healthy Monarch Butterfly Habitat at Home.
- Doug Tallamy: Home Grown National Park.
- Rob Townsend: Water Gardening Basics.
- Deborah Tricket: Wine & Chocolate; and another on 10 Most Popular Container Plants & Why You Shouldn’t Use Them.
- Steve Walowski: Organics 101 – An Organic Approach to Lawn Care.
- Terry Walters: Plant-based Nourishment.
- Adam Wheeler: Magical Witches of Winter: A Closer Look at the Genus Hammamelis.
- Paula Wolf: Intro to Beekeeping; and another on 5 Fascinating Behaviors of Honey Bees.
- Heather Zidack: Learning to Speak Horticulture.
►As soon as attendees step into the Exhibition Hall, they will be welcomed by over 20 colorful live garden and landscape exhibits in full bloom by professional landscape designers and nonprofit organizations, including naturalistic, low-maintenance, native, containers, vegetables, organic, herb, and pollinator gardens.
►The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s annual Standard Flower Show with a 12,500-square-foot design, horticulture, botanical arts, and photography competition with hundreds of entries from the 113 garden clubs’ members across the state – also themed, “Signs of Spring.”
►Over 350 booths with displays, activities, shopping: artisans, handcrafted gifts, fresh flowers and live plants, garden ornaments, metalwork sculptures, herbs, bulbs, seeds, fertilizers, soils, books, lawn/garden tools and equipment, patio furniture, and more. Bring 1/2 cup of soil for Free testing to UConn Home & Garden Education Center booth.
►Admission for February 20-23, 2025 Show (same prices as last year):
Discounted Tickets Can be Purchased Now: $17 for Adults & Seniors at www.CTFlowerShow.com and can be purchased online through the final day of the show.
Tickets at the Door: $20 Adults & Seniors; $5 Children 5-12; Free for Children Under Age 5.
►Event Parking:
Every Day: Parking in the Connecticut Convention Center Garage: $9 all day; or $3 for the first hour and $2 each additional hour.
Thursday & Friday ONLY: Additional free parking and shuttle buses at Propark’s Bushnell South Garage at 120 Capitol Ave. in Hartford. (several blocks South of the CT Convention Center).
Saturday & Sunday ONLY: Additional $5 all-day parking in the Front Street North and South Garages (across the street from CT Convention Center).
Saturday & Sunday ONLY: Additional $5 all-day parking and free shuttle buses at Morgan Street Garage at 155 Morgan St. in Hartford (suggested driving: exit 33 off of I-91 to 155 Morgan Street).
►To View a Map of Nearby Downtown Hartford Parking Lots and Garages, go to www.hartford.com/parking
Show sponsors include: Connecticut Organics (a division of Connecticut Mulch Distributors, Inc.); The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc.; WFSB-TV Channel 3; WRCH Lite 100.5; Renewal by Anderson; Cassanova Remodeling; the Connecticut Convention Center; and North East Expos, Inc.
►For all information about the “43rd Connecticut Flower & Garden Show”, including discounted advance ticket purchase or to register as an exhibitor, visit www.CTFlowerShow.com or Facebook, or call 860-844-8461.
NORTH EAST EXPOS, INC., the event’s producer, is a decades old, female-owned family company owned by President Kristie Gonsalves. She also presents the annual “Connecticut Fishing & Outdoor Show” at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23, 2025. To register as an exhibitor at that event, contact Kristie Gonsalves at 860-844-8461 or email Kristie@northeastexpos.com, or visit www.CTFishingOutdoorShow.com.
-End-
Laura Soll, Communications Director
2022 Connecticut Flower & Garden Show
860-688-4499, Cell 860-833-4466