The Garden Show Was Everything A Garden Show Should Be!

By Jenny Nelson, CCMGA Master Gardener

The Garden Show, held on Saturday and Sunday, March 18th and 19th was a great success! More than 6,000 people attended the show, which featured 90 garden-focused vendors, a variety of engaging speakers and educational booths. Thanks to the attendee’s generosity, our 2023 charity, Community Garden Kitchen, will be able to continue to feed those who experience food insufficiency.

At the close of The Garden Show, CCMGA President Barron Bozeman thanked The Garden Show volunteers, vendors, speakers and sponsors. The event was partially funded through a promotional grant from the McKinney Community Development Corporation. Prominent sponsors were: Texas Pure Products, Lush Landscape Concepts, Rooted In and Puckett’s Nursery. For a complete list of vendors and sponsors visit: ccmgatx.org/TheGardenShow.

A large crowd gathered to hear Bozeman bestow special honors on horticulturist and author Neil Sperry, fine arts education advocate Lynn Sperry and longtime Master Gardener Carolyn Skei.

Neil and Lynn Sperry received honorary CCMGA membership. For Neil, this honor marks a homecoming of sorts. Early in his career (1970-1977) Neil worked with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and it was then that he first went on the radio to answer gardening questions from the public. Since he first joined AgriLife, Neil has devoted himself to providing home gardeners with accurate science-based answers to their trickiest gardening questions. Neil is well known for his comprehensive books on Texas gardening. His weekend gardening programs can be found on WBAP-AM and KLIF-AM. He also provides a free and timely gardening information on his website Neilsperry.com.

Photo courtesy of Gary Donihoo and f8 Studio
(From left to right: County Horticulture Agent Brad Voss, Neil Sperry, Lynn Sperry, CCMGA President Barron Bozeman, Carolyn Skei)

Master Gardeners also honored Lynn Sperry. Since 2007, Lynn has raised funds to give 2,000 McKinney fifth graders free Crape Myrtles to bring home each Mother’s Day. A passionate advocate for public education, Lynn has served on the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees for 39 years. Together, Neil and Lynn helped found Serenity High and the couple also founded the celebrated Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney.

The CCMGA Executive Board surprised twenty-year member Carolyn Skei with the exceptional honor of Emeritus membership, which is granted for distinguished service. CCMGA’s membership director Carole Strippoli lauded Carolyn as a gifted artist, editor and garden writer. Carolyn edited Neil Sperry’s Lone Star Gardening and his newsletter for many years, and she also helped establish CCMGA’s first website and has written many articles for CCMGA publications.

The Garden Show will return in March of 2024 with even more activities and information to support and promote sustainable horticultural practices and environmental stewardship. If you have comments or questions about The Garden Show, please contact us!