By Greta Carley

University of Mississippi

The Lafayette County Master Gardeners are hosting the Master Gardener Spring Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series on Thursdays this month at the University of Mississippi Museum.

With a theme of “Garden Survival,” the lectures are set for noon in the museum’s Speakers Gallery. The free series also features plant exhibits and opportunities to win door prizes.

The series covers topics ranging from eating what you grow to how insects can be helpful in the garden.

“The University Museum is pleased to once again host the Master Gardener series,” said Debbie Nelson, the museum’s events and communications coordinator. “For a decade, the community has looked forward to this annual event, not only for the lecture series, but to speak to gardening experts and actually see plants native to the area.”

The series opened April 6 with a presentation by Susan Haltom, president of the Southern Garden History Society and garden designer and preservations coordinator for Eudora Welty’s garden. Upcoming lectures feature Blake Layton, professor of entomology at Mississippi State University, on April 13, and Jeff Wilson, regional horticulturalist with the MSU Extension Service in Verona, on April 20.

Nathan Lazinski, assistant superintendent of the UM Department of Landscape Services, wraps up the series April 27 with “Proven Winner Plants for Your Yard.”

Nelson encourages audiences to arrive early for the lectures, allowing time to browse the new exhibit, “Lasting Impressions: Restoring Kate Freeman Clark,” which features numerous floral paintings by the acclaimed Holly Springs artist.

For more information, visit www.lcmga.org or museum.olemiss.edu.