DURHAM, N.H. - Spring comes early to New Hampshire at the University of New Hampshire's annual Greenhouse Open House March 26 - 27, 2010. Coinciding with the popular Seacoast Flower, Home and Garden Show at the nearby Whittemore Center, the Greenhouse Open House runs 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. both days. 

"The Greenhouse Open House is a great source for plants that are locally produced as well as a source for local information by expert horticulturists," says Cheryl Smith, extension professor and specialist in plant health for UNH Cooperative Extension and the department of biological sciences.

At the Open House, UNH staff and students will present colorful displays and educational lectures of interest to home gardeners and landscapers. Visitors can purchase UNH-grown plants as well as attend seminars on topics such as coping with garden insects, promoting beneficial insects in the garden, cooking with herbs, creating inviting entryways with plants, and preventing late blight. Faculty and student researchers will present information on a range of subjects, from strawberry wine to winter-sprouting broccoli to growing sweet potatoes in New Hampshire. Horticulture students from the Thompson School of Applied Sciences will create displays on the themes of "The Old Country Farm" and "The Green City."

Again this year, publications by UNH authors will be available for sale, and the UNH Horticultural Club will host the Greenhouse Café, which helps fund their spring trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.   

The UNH Greenhouse Open House is free and open to the general public. The UNH greenhouses are located off Main Street on the west end of Durham. Lectures will take place in Putnam Hall across the parking lot from the greenhouses. For more information, including a schedule of lectures, go to http://www.thompsonschool.unh.edu/pdf/ghohflyer_10.pdf, or call 603-862-3200.

Coinciding with the Open House on Saturday is the Little Royal Livestock show at the Skoglund Livestock Arena at UNH. This free event, open to the public, showcases students competing against one another for the best turned-out cows or horses. For information, go to http://www.thompsonschool.unh.edu/events.html.

The Greenhouse Open House is sponsored by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, the UNH biological sciences and horticulture academic programs, Thompson School of Applied Sciences horticulture department, and UNH Cooperative Extension.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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Photographs available to download:
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Caption: Visitors can enjoy an early spring at the UNH Greenhouse Open House, March 26 - 27, 2010.
Credit: Faye Cragin.

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Caption: UNH students and staff create colorful displays for this year's Greenhouse Open House, March 26 - 27, 2010.
Credit: David Goudreault.

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Caption: Plants both common and exotic, like this pitcher plant, will be on display at the UNH Greenhouse Open House, March 26 - 27, 2010.
Credit: David Goudreault.