Hendricks County Master Gardener, Adventures in Gardening, features Irvin Etienne, Indianapolis Museum of Art as the keynote on growing vegetables in the flower garden.  Other topics:  The Winter Garden with conifer specialist Terri Park; Going Native in Suburbia — how to your subdivision into a beautiful wildflower habitat with Dan McCord; and Water Ponds Made Easy with Steve Wicker.

Fee: $30, includes lunch. Call (371) 75409260, or visit the Web site.

Where: Hendricks County Fairgrounds Auditorium, 1900 E. Main St., (Old U.S. 36) in Danville.

Hendricks County Master Gardeners, Perennial Plant Exchange,  with planting tips from Colletta Kosiba. Bring four to six identified plants to the Plainfield Library, 1120 Strafford Road. Free, but registration is required, (317)  839-6602.

Hendricks County Master Gardeners, Putting Your Garden to Bed for the Winter, by Colletta Kosiba.  Learn about clean up, adding soil nutrients and more fall chores.  Brownsburg Library, 450 S. Jefferson St. Free, but registration is required, (317) 852-3167.

Shade garden with hosta, astilbe and hydrangea. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

F.C. Tucker Parking Lot, 1119 Keystone Way, Carmel, Ind., the Indianapolis Hosta Society’s annual plant sale features more than 100 varieties of this shade-loving plant, including rare and unusual cultivars, classic favorites, minatures and giants. Also for sale will be companion plants for the hosta garden, which include coral bells, daylilies, grasses and more.

Also on hand will be hosta experts and experienced shade gardeners.

Funds from the sale support community service, such as the society’s planting at the entrance of Holliday Park, and educational projects. Transactions in cash or check only.

For details, please visit the society’s Web site.

Eyeballs by Noblesville, Ind., artist Girly Steel (Joan Drizin) over see the Virginia sweetspire (Itea) in a Brownsburg, Ind., garden on this year’s native plant tour. © Photo submitted by Sue Arnold

One of the ways to tell if you like a plant is to see it growing, especially in a landscape setting.

That’s the idea behind Landscaping with Native Plants 2010 Garden Tour sponsored by the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society next Saturday.

“While we think the obvious advantages of being adapted to local climate and the benefits to wildlife are tremendous selling points for native plants, widespread use will ultimately depend on making people aware of their beauty in a garden. The best way to accomplish this is to give people an opportunity to see them,” said Tom Hohman, president of the statewide group.

The Central Indiana chapter had a tour for members only last year to test organizational efforts, crowd control and other details. The success led to a tour of six gardens this year that is free and open to the public.

Three members selected the gardens based on several factors, such as design or small or large spaces. At least 50 percent of the plants had to be native species, said Kelly Spiegel, an INPAWS member who was on the selection committee.

“Our long term goal is to eventually have these tours located all over the state, all occurring on the same day,” Hohman said. “This will take some time to develop, but we want to expand it each year with that long term goal in mind.” As a step in that direction, the East Central chapter will have a tour of two Anderson, Ind., -area gardens the same day.

The tours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday. Registration is required. For details, please visit the Web site.

Viceroy butterfly. Photo courtesy Fritz Nerding/Garfield Park

Backyard Butterflies takes flight Saturday at the Garfield Park Conservatory, 10 minutes from downtown Indianapolis.

Featured will be native butterflies in free flight, live ladybugs, praying mantises and caterpillars. You can learn about these creatures’ benefits to our backyards.  The display will also include plants, advice and examples of garden features that attract and support these insects.

Information:

Backyard Butterflies, June 26 through July 11, 2010

Garfield Park Conservatory, , 2505 Conservatory Drive, near Southern Avenue and Shelby Street, just off the I-65/Raymond Street exit. Here’s a map.

Hours: 10 a.m.  to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays.  (The Conservatory will be closed July 5.)

Admission: $2 for adults, $1 for seniors and youth; $5 for families.

For more adventures with nature

See info on special programs below. Registration required. Call (317) 327-PARK. For information on these or other conservatory events, call (317) 327-7184, or visit the Web site.

Garfield Park Conservatory. (C) Fritz Nerding/Garfield Park

Butterfly Gardening Learn how you can have your own backyard butterfly garden at home.  Find out what plants work best and which features to consider when planning your space.

Details: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Saturday,  June 26, for ages 18 and older.  Fee: $5, which includes admission to the exhibit.

Metamorphosis Monday Is all about butterflies and their interesting lifecycle and characteristics.  Make a fun craft and search our garden for these beautiful bugs.

Details: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Monday, June 28, for ages,  for families with children 3 and older, $7 per family, which includes admission to exhibit.

Backyard Naturalist Discover wildlife right in your backyard habitat..

Details: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m, Saturday,  July 10, for children ages 6 through 12 years, $5, which includes admisstion to exhibit.

'The Ambassador' hosta was developed by Randy Goodwin. Photo courtesy Ron Williams

Ambassador House & Heritage Gardens at Fishers (Ind.) Heritage Park, 106th Street and Eller Road will hold Gathering at the Garden, a celebration of the opening Hosta Glade, a project of the Indiana hosta hybridizers and the Indianapolis Hosta Society.

The house was moved in 1996 from 96th Street and Allisonville Road when threatened by the wrecking ball and the restoration has been a labor of love of the Fishers Town Council and the Fishers Historic Preservation Committee. Originally the home of an ambassador to Austria and Hungary, it has been renovated as a venue for meetings, receptions and other special events.

The self-guided tour includes Ambassador House & Heritage Gardens and three private gardens in Fishers, Zionsville and Westfield.

A highlight of the day will be the ribbon cutting of Hosta Glade and the unveiling of ‘The Ambassador,’ a newly released variegated hosta that was hybridized by Randy Goodwin, one of Indianapolis’ noted hosta collectors and breeders. Ron Williams of the Indianapolis Hosta Society, said the hosta will be for sale next year. Plants for sale this year include daylilies, hosta, confiers and shrubs provided by Carolee’s Herb Farm, New Vision Orchids, Soules Garden, Joan’s Backyard Treasures and Lazy Cat Garden.

Admission is $10, with proceeds going to Ambassador House & Heritage Gardens. Garden locations and maps will be provided at Ambassador House, where you purchase tickets.

Nashville, Ind. — Plein air artists and art lovers of all ages are invited to the T.C. Steele State Historic Site in Brown County on Saturday, May 15. The site opens at 7 a.m. for this annual event.

The Festival of Flowers PaintOut  features more than 100 artists painting on the historic site grounds from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival provides a unique insight into the methods of T.C. Steele, an artist greatly inspired by his natural surroundings. Participating artists will work as Steele did — outside, in the open air in the traditional plein air style.

Judging will begin at 2 p.m., when visitors vote on their favorites for a “People’s Choice” award. First-place winning artwork created during the festival will be displayed in T.C. Steele’s Large Studio for 30 days following the event.

Event activities are free to thenpublic. The Festival of Flowers PaintOut is co-sponsored by the Friends of T. C. Steele. Event activities are made possible in part by the Brown County Art Organizations Fund, supported by the Artful Dining Gala.

The T. C. Steele State Historic Site, 1 ½ miles south of Belmont, off Ind. 46, between Nashville and Bloomington, is part of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of State Museums & Historic Sites.

Tippecanoe County Master Gardeners’ annual Garden Expo features plants, growing supplies, garden decor, lectures and lots of information. Last year, more than 1,600 visitors attended the show, held at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, 1010 Teal Road, Lafayette. See the Web site for details.