Gardening 365 Festival Marks 10th Year at Wesley Chapel District Park Saturday

UF/IFAS Extension Pasco County's Master Gardener Volunteers will host the 10th Annual Gardening 365 Festival & Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wesley Chapel District Park, 7727 Boyette Road. Admission is free, rain or shine, and organizers describe it as the largest gardening festival in Pasco County, a milestone worth noting for a program that has run every first Saturday in October for a decade.

The festival works as both a community event and a fundraiser. Proceeds support the Master Gardener Volunteer program's materials and supplies for the rest of the year, which is what keeps the group's gardening classes and help desk free for Pasco County residents.

What's at the festival

The day centers on plant and retail vendors selling everything from fruit trees to yard art, apparel and garden décor. A live walk-through butterfly exhibit returns as one of the festival's signature draws, alongside ladybug sales and a silent auction benefiting the program.

Master Gardener Volunteers and other experts will run seminars throughout the day covering fruit trees, herbs, pollinators, vegetable gardening, cacti and fire ecology, and will staff "Ask a Master Gardener Volunteer" sessions for anyone with a question about what's dying in their yard. Families can expect a Kids' Zone with a bounce house, face painting, and food and drink vendors scattered across the park.

Rain barrel workshop requires registration

Separate from the free festival, a paid rain-barrel-building workshop runs from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the park's Rec Center Monarch Room. The $65 fee includes materials to build and take home a working rain barrel, but space is limited to 20 participants and pre-registration is required online before the event.

Vendors or businesses interested in sponsoring or setting up a table can still reach the festival's planning committee by email, a route organizers have used for years to fill out the lineup of plant sellers and community partners that line the park each October.

Parking at Wesley Chapel District Park fills up through the morning at big festivals, so arriving closer to the 9 a.m. start gives the best shot at a close spot before the lot gets busy.

This story is part of our ongoing events coverage for Wesley Chapel. Find more local happenings at Wesley Chapel Community Website, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X, and join the conversation in our Community Forum. For more things to do nearby, check out our community page.