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This is last article before our Bonanza March 6. The last four weeks I have covered the fruits we will offer for sale and have classes on. Be sure to bring your checkbook as we are selling bare root blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and grapes at a good price. I have spent so much time on berries so I want to reassure you that there will be much more going on at the Bonanza.

•Chuck Levine will offer a class on ‘Shrubs for Northern Landscapes.’ He has a Masters Degree in Horticulture Education, from the University of Minnesota, and is an instructor of botany and horticulture at Hennepin Technical College. He serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee at the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. He was a big hit at last year’s event. Let him show you shrubs in a new light as he speaks on some of the new, unusual and underused shrubs that will grow in your landscape.

•Harvey Buchite, vice president/co-owner of Rice Creek Gardens, a 16 acre Specialty Nursery and Garden Center in Blaine. He is web master for their colorful website www.rice creekgardens.com which includes descriptions for nearly three-fourths of the plants they offer, many with color photos. He previously served as a U of M Extension Educator, specializing in horticulture. He describes himself as an avid gardener who's current "garden fever" centers around their newly expanded peony collection. The recent purchase of the Tischler Peony Farm collection makes their selection of peonies top 350 kinds. In addition he is raising wild species peonies from seed. He is also continuing his breeding efforts for hardy, disease resistant, many flowered daylilies. A frequent traveler to Europe he has given plant presentations in Vienna, Austria, Canada and throughout the Midwest. He hopes to bring some of the excitement and adventure of gardening to you through his slide presentation.

Brochures are available for Bonanza 2004 “Garden Fever,” which will be held at Maranatha Church, in Forest Lake, March 6. Call or email to receive a brochure or if you are interested in being a vendor, 651-237-3080 or [email protected]. Forms are also now available to pre-order bare root strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and grape plants. Many of these are cultivars developed at the University of Minnesota and used by commercial growers, but hard to find for home use.

You can view the brochure and order form on the web at: http://www.extension.umn.edu/coun ty/Chisago/news/brochure2004%20final.pdf.

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