Tickets are on sale for the Bath Volunteers for Service’s 36th annual home tour, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 23.
The tour starts at Bath United Church of Christ, 3980 W. Bath Road. It includes stops at five homes and gardens as well as lunch, a fashion show and vendor booths.
Tickets are $30 for general admission, $40 for patrons and $70 for sponsors.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. To order, write a check to Bath Volunteers for Service and mail it to P.O. Box 673, Bath, OH 44210.
Ticket deadlines are Friday for patrons and sponsors and May 17 for general admission.
For information, call 330-665-4523.
Master Gardeners
Another tour to mark on your calendar is the Summit County Master Gardeners’ annual Tour of Gardens, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 22.
This year’s tour has the theme “Garden Spaces for Everyday Living.”
Tickets for the self-directed tour are $15 and must be purchased in advance. They go on sale Wednesday at Suncrest Gardens in Boston Township, Donzell’s Flower and Garden Center in Akron and Graf Growers Garden Center in Copley Township.
Tickets can also be ordered by mail until June 12 using the form at www.summitmastergardeners.org, or by sending a check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to MG Tour of Gardens, c/o MG Tickets, P.O. Box 707, Bath, OH 44210.
Smarty Plants
A plant-identification site called Mister Smarty Plants mines the collective knowledge of its users to find the names of trees, bushes and flowers around the world.
Users can upload plant photos to the site for other members to identify. When enough members confirm the name of the plant, the person who posted the photo gets an email or tweet with the identification.
New features on the site include the ability to agree with previously submitted identifications and an easy way to view other photos of plants with the same name, a useful tool for confirming identifications.
The site is at www.mistersmartyplants.com.
Events, programs
• Native Plant Sale & Gardening Seminar, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, the Wilderness Center, 9877 Alabama Ave. SW, Sugar Creek Township near Wilmot (for GPS directions, use Navarre). Seminars today: Perennials: Planning, Planting and Maintenance and Milkweed: One Important “Weed,” both at 10 a.m.; and Plant Propagation: Seeds, Cuttings and Divisions and Gardening With Native Plants, both at 11:15. $5 each. Free wildflower walk, 1-2 p.m. today. Plant sale both days. Plant catalog at www.wildernesscenter.org.
• Cleveland Botanical Garden events, 11030 East Blvd. Big Spring, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, featuring children’s events and more than 3,000 spring flowers in bloom. $12; $8 for children ages 3 to 12; members and younger children, free. BotaniCool School: Delicious Dirt for ages 3-5, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Friday or 10:30-11:30 a.m. May 4 (members $7, others $10, registration required). Ohio Gardening Resources, 2-3 p.m. May 4 (members $5, others $12, registration required). Tickets and program registration: 216-721-1600, ext. 100, or www.cbgarden.org.
• Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Tangier, 532 W. Market St., Akron. More than 100 vendors offering eclectic items. $3; children younger than 12, free. Portion of proceeds benefits Stewart’s Caring Place. 440-227-8794 or www.avantgardeshows.com.
• Knitty Gritters Knitting Club meeting, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Lake Community Branch of Stark County District Library, 11955 Market Ave. N, Lake Township. 330-877-9975.
• Church architecture talk, 7 p.m. Monday, Akron-Summit County Public Library’s Main Library, 60 S. High St., Akron. Anthony Valleriano will discuss his new book, Dedication: The Work of William P. Ginther, Ecclesiastical Architect. Presented by the Preservation Alliance of Greater Akron. Free.
• Fairy Garden Workshop, 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Graf Growers Garden Center, 1015 White Pond Drive, Copley Township. Bring or buy a container. Potting soil provided. Workshop is free, but participants must buy the items needed to create their fairy gardens. Registration: 330-836-2727.
• Urban Homesteading, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Wolf Creek Environmental Center, 6100 Ridge Road, Sharon Township, Medina County. $20. Registration: http://medinacountyparks.com or 330-722-9364.
• Bloom ’N Book Sale, Thursday through May 5, Our Lady of Grace Church Hall, 1088 Ridge Road, Hinckley. More than 175 varieties of plants and more than 10,000 new and gently used books, magazines and DVDs. Preview night with wine and cheese tasting, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday; tickets are $10 and must be ordered in advance at 330-278-4121. Regular sale hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and next Saturday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 5. Information and activity schedule, 330-278-4121 or volunteersatgrace@gmail.com.
• Heirloom Tomatoes & More, 10-11:30 a.m. May 4, Crooked River Herb Farm, 1719 Reimer Road, Wadsworth Township. Presentation by master gardener Michael Cohill. Free. Information: 330-604-0932.
• Designer ShowHouse 2013, opens May 4, 657 Ridgecrest Road, Akron. Professionally redecorated home will be open for tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4-5, 9-12 and 16-19. $20. www.juniorleagueakron.org or 330-836-4905.
Submit notices of classes, programs and events two weeks in advance to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com or Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Please include name and phone number. All events must be open to the public.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mbbreck, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckenridge and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.