Cleveland Home and Garden Show

The Cleveland Home and Garden Show, held each February at Cleveland's I-X Center, is the largest such show in North America. The nine-day event features celebrity gardens, gardening demonstrations, dozens of gardening and home improvement vendors, home models, and food and drink. The 2009 theme is "Romantic France" and the 2009 dates are February 7-15.

The Gardens:

The Cleveland Home and Garden Show features a variety of celebrity gardens, created by celebrities in conjunction with local landscape designers. Among the 2008 participants were the Plain Dealer's Joe Crea, TV5's Mark Johnson, Lanigan and Malone from WMJI, and HGTV's Lee Snijders.In addition to the celebrity gardens, the 2008 show featured a "Before and After" garden, a 4000-square foot garden showcase by Petitti Garden Centers, a gardening stage with demonstrations led by local gardening experts, garden art by the RED DOT project, and a major florascape designed in collaboration with legendary horticulturist Don Vanderbrook.

The Homes:

The centerpiece of the model homes at the 2008 show was the Boulevard of Homes, an impressive collection of designer homes. This year's theme is waterfront living. In addition, the show featured the Plain Dealer "Inside and Out" Designer Showcase, Lake Erie Floating Homes, and a Green Products Pavilion.

The Bistro:

The 2008 Home and Garden Show's Bistro, marked by Italian flags and food, featured a dozen local businesses sharing imported goods, travel information, and Italian flair and customs. Adjacent to The Bistro was a Bocce competition for charity.

Entertainment:

Entertainment included accordion players, opera singer, and Italian ballad singers.

For Kids:

The 2008 show's Kids' Corner was a special, interactive spot for kids of all ages to learn about nature and landscaping. Features included a realistic bear cave, friendly backyard critters brought in by the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, face-painting, and a library of children's books about nature.

Other Activities at the Cleveland Home and Garden Show:

In addition to the homes and gardens, the 2008 Cleveland Home and Garden Show featured over 900 home improvement and garden exhibitors, a Home Depot Home Improvement demonstration stage, Pat Catan's Creative Design Center, and Loretta Paganini's cooking stage.

Hours and Admission:

The Cleveland Home and Garden Show is open Saturdays from 10am to 9pm, Sundays from 10am to 6pm, Monday - Thursday from 11am to 9pm, and on Friday from 11am to 930pm.

2008 Admission at the door was $13 for adults, $4 for children 6-12, and free for children 5 and younger. Discounted ($10) tickets were available in advance of the show at selected AAA offices and Home Depot stores.

Contact Information:

Cleveland Home and Garden Show
I-X Center
6200 Riverside Rd. (route 237)
Cleveland
800 600-0307

For other gardens shows, see this listing of Spring Garden Shows across the United States, from the About Guide to Gardening.

Update 06/06/08: It was just announced that Cincinnati-based, Fifth Third Bank will replace National City Bank as the title sponsor of this event.

^{(Last updated 6-06-08)}