(Radio Iowa) – Spring will arrive in a little under a month and central Iowans who are plotting out their landscaping projects can get a helping hand as the Des Moines Home and Garden Show opens today (Thursday). Show manager Shannon Nathe says they’ll have some 300 exhibitors at the Iowa Events Center offering a wide range of yard and home-related products and services. “If you have a project in mind, bring your plans, sit down with these business owners, and get on their calendars because they are very busy,” Nathe says. “We have seven feature gardens in the show this year, so there’s seven local landscapers showing their ideas of what you can do in your backyard.”

While the large exhibition hall is indoors, vendors have created stunning garden displays designed to inspire your next home upgrade. “The landscapers are located in Hall A, so when you come down the escalator, it’s just a sea of flowers and some of them are putting in pools and trees,” Nathe says. “It’s a great environment to think about spring, think about your projects that are coming up, all under one roof.”

This year’s list of celebrity speakers includes Patric Richardson, who’s known as The Laundry Guy on H-G-T-V, as well as a woman who’s a combination general contractor, real estate developer, business innovator, and philanthropist. “Ati Williams is a renowned design builder and an engaging TV host on Netflix’ ‘Hack My Home,'” Nathe says, “so she’s going to give you tips and tricks on saving money, but have the higher-end look of, like, let’s say redoing your cabinets. She’s going to give you all the tips and tricks.”

Attendees can get a hand with potting their own plants at the Potting Bar, while there’s also a Made in Iowa Market featuring some three-dozen products that all originated in the Hawkeye State. The 46th annual Home and Garden Show runs through Sunday.

desmoineshomeandgardenshow.com