MONTICELLO — Connect, learn and grow with University of Illinois Extension this March at the first From the Ground Up educational gardening day. 

Plant lovers of all ages and skill levels can network with area gardeners and experts, enjoy engaging sessions, get research-based information they can trust and go home excited about getting their hands dirty this spring.

Participants will enjoy keynote speaker William Sullivan’s discussion of the benefits of green spaces and two sessions of their choice. Class topics are plant propagation, garden hygee, nature photography, seeds for permaculture, springtime native blooms and wildlife rehabilitation. 

From the Ground Up will be 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday March 9 at Allerton Park & Retreat Center, 515 Old Timber Road, Monticello. Sign in, refreshments and vendor tables will be available at 8 a.m., the keynote address starts at 9 a.m. and the first session starts at 10 a.m. Tickets must be ordered by Thursday, February 28. Seats are expected to fill quickly. Register online at go.illinois.edu/dmp or with the Piatt County Extension Office by calling (217) 762-2191 or visiting 210 S. Market St. Mail in registration is available on request. 

Keynote speaker William Sullivan is University of Illinois Professor and Head of Landscape Architecture where he studies the benefits of regular exposure to green spaces in urban areas. The conditions of modern living – work and life pressures – threaten the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans. However, there is evidence that access to green infrastructure and other forms of nature can reduce the symptoms of stress and promote recovery from mental fatigue. 

Sullivan will explore these recent findings and discuss the implications for, and importance of, having daily contact with nature.