A winter treat at the Ohio Expo Center 

When visiting the show my tour always begins by walking thru the garden exhibits because it makes me feel that spring is just around the corner. Strolling through the garden displays allows you to enjoy the creativity of area landscape architects. This years garden creations illustrate favorite Hollywood movie themes such as Herbie the Love Bug, Jurassic Park, Mamma Mia, The Secret Garden, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings, Mary Poppins and my personal favorite Ratatouille. The Cedarbrook Landscaping Center created the Ratatouille display which makes you feel like you are in Paris complete with an Eiffel Tower, a French café with an outdoor pizza oven. I even shook hands with Remy the rat from the bistro named “La Ratatouille. Chef Auguste Gusteau the owner of the best restaurant in Paris, talks about his bestselling cookbook “Anyone Can Cook!” As visitors walk thru the Ratatouille garden they are surrounded by weeping willow and birch trees, rhododendrons, roses and lilacs which give this garden an extraordinary fragrance and a beautiful burst of color.

 Garden and home improvement ideas

Throughout the garden expo many exterior fireplaces give visitors ideas of what can be added to a new or existing outdoor living space. The fireplaces have been constructed to accommodate wood or gas logs. No garden show would be complete without a huge display of garden tools, mowers and mulch. The crowd was quite intrigued as they listened to Mel Bartholomew the developer of the square foot garden which is built in a box which produces more vegetables or flowers in less space. Mel’s garden techniques require fewer chemicals, less water and little weeding, tilling or digging. The garden expo is housed in its own building; all the home improvement vendors are located in another huge building. You can learn so much about what’s new on the market. If you are building a new home or need to replace a furnace, air conditioner, windows or a roof, you will be able to compare many products at the show

Solar roof vent and engineered counter tops

Insulation made from recycled newspapers

Every year at the show I always discover so many interesting products. The solar attic exhaust fan at the Able Roof display caught my attention. The vent is easy to install, no electrical wiring is required, sunlight powers the exhaust fan which removes hot unwanted air from an attic. I was impressed with a granite composite counter top that is constructed to fit right over an old countertop, no demolition, installs in one day, is resistant to heat, scratches and stains. The countertops are fabricated using crushed granite, quarts or glass to produce a beautiful engineered surface, the red glass countertop at the show was really gorgeous. I learn something new everyday. When I stopped by the Nu-Wool cellulose insulation display I was informed by the vendor that this insulation in now installed in all newly built Dominion Homes, a Central Ohio home builder. This energy-saving insulation if made from recycled newspapers it has superior thermal and air infiltration properties. Nu-Wool is considered a green product that is environmentally friendly; I was told that it could save up to 40% on energy bills.

Special Appearances

Dedicated Days

Demonstrations

There are special days during the show packed full of interesting venues for senior citizens and kids too. You can pick up many cooking, gardening and home improvement tips. Meet HGTV star designers Kim Myles and David Bromstad. The day I attended the show Kim Myles made an appearance she was fun to listen to; her message which was that decorating can be done on a budget. I learned that color is important to bring warmth to a home which can be accomplished by painting a room. A few cans of paint is not that expensive and if you don’t like the color just paint over it. Draperies and area rugs can really change the personality of a room. To my surprise a client’s young son made a special appearance at the show. Abhik a piano prodigy is only 7 years old he awed the crowd with his classical music. 

Still time to attend the show  

Don’t miss out many of the show exhibitors are offering special discounts. Discount tickets can be purchased at Home Depot. Show dates February 28 thru March 8. Ohio Expo Center, (Ohio State Fairgrounds) 717 E. 17th Ave.                                                   

Remy the rat from the  Ratatouille garden display was at the French café with the outdoor pizza oven.

Share This