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Marion County Master Gardener Spring Festival: Rooted in Horticulture and Community
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Marion County Master Gardener Spring Festival: Rooted in Horticulture and Community

The Master Gardener Spring Festival featured large crowds, vibrant plant life and a fun, interactive kids’ zone.

OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Master Gardener Spring Festival celebrated its 30th anniversary on Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15, 2026, with lively crowds and vibrant plants. The festival took place at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion where vendors lined up, showcasing plants and horticulture-based items.

Before the event began, crowds of guests began waiting in line with wagons in hand, waiting to enter. Just past the entrance, a large display of vendors stood under the pavilion while larger displays took place outside of the pavilion on the right and a line of food trucks on the left. Some plant life included decorative flowers, house plants, medicinal herbs, shrubs, trees, terrariums, seeds, edible plants, produce crops and more. Some of these vendors include Clover Meadow Nursery, Tower Hill Nursery, Murray’s Flowers & Fun Finds, The Peacock Cottage, Lady Vanda Orchids, Wild Prairie Farms, Master Gardener Seed Board, A Pot Ahead Nursery LLC, Under the Sun Succulents and Cactus, High View Nursery, Grumbles House Antiques & Garden Shop and many more.

Along with plant life vendors, the event featured vendors specializing in agriculture and garden-themed items and information such as Leaf Filter Gutter Protections and Ocala Water Resources. Some of the food vendors included authentic lamb gyros, the Krafty Kettle, Caldonia’s Food Truck Kitchen, Curbside Cuisine and Ice Cream Mustache.

A garden features metal tubs and wooden plant holders in a large area with green vegetation surround the area.The Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival allowed guests to explore some of the gardens that profit from the event from March 14-15, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA line of people with wagons circles in a parking lot, waiting to enter an event.A long line of guests waited outside of the Master Gardeners Spring Festival entrance before the event began from March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA crowd of guests walk around with wagons and carry plants at an outdoor plant market.Large crowds visited the Master Gardeners Spring Festival, exploring the displays and purchasing plants on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA crowd of people with wagons walk on a dirt path through vendors featuring a variety of plants under white canopies.Guests wheeled around wagons to collect plants at the Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayLamb meet is being prepped on a cooker.Food trucks and vendors made hand-crafted and fresh food at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayThree people stand behind a table with a tablecloth that reads, "Verti-Gro." Plants surround them in the background.Verti-Gro featured a variety of plant life at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA woman stands behind display cases with flower-themed jewelry. In the background is a market garden with crowds walking around.Unique Cherie featured flower-themed jewelry at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA toy train display sits on a table with a black tablecloth as children watch it go around the track.Kids could enjoy a train display in the kids’ zone at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA flower in shades of purple and yellow blooms with more on the same stem. The stem features closed flowers waiting to bloom. Behind them are more flowers of varying designs and colors in bloom.The Peacock Cottage featured a display of multiple vibrant flowers at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayTwo women stand in front of a food trucks with large lemon and popcorn designs on it. A sign in front of the truck reads a menu.The Krafty Kettle showcased their second food truck, featuring lemon shakers and popcorn, at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA woman and a dog sit together in front of a table with a sign in the background reading, "K9 Marion County Search and Rescue. Search. Rescue. Recovery."Annette D’Amore and her K9, Prudence, featured a demonstration of the Search and Rescue of Central Florida’s process for finding missing persons at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA table with kids' coloring pages features stamps, markers and crayons scattered around for children to play.The kids’ zone at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival featured multiple activities for children on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA woman holds a bug toward a child with multiple insect containers on a table below. The child watches the bug, leaning on the table.Kids had the opportunity to observe and interact with small insects in the kids’ zone at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayPotted flowers in varying shades of red, orange, yellow, pink and green stand in a line with people standing behind them.McCrory’s Bromeliads featured vibrant plants on display at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayFlowers are displayed in a grass field with a white car and building in the background. The flowers are varying shades of white, pink and purple.Vendors showcased vibrant displays of flowers available for guests to purchase at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayAn indoor shop features multiple potted plants lined on wooden shelves with decorative garden items hanging above them. A small window is between the displays.Rooted by Two Sisters showcased their collection of potted plants at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA Table with honey-themed items stand in the middle of a room with more vendors around it. A girl stands, laughing behind the table while parents and children looking at the honey items.The Kids’ Zone at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival featured live bees at a honey vendor on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayA garden features a bird bath, shite benches, plants, a tree and multiple signs.The Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival allowed guests to explore the on-site gardens on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352todayPotted flowers stand on a table with the sun shining on them. Behind them, under a canopy, more plants hang and are placed on another table in the background. A white sign hangs above them reading, "Garden Spot Nursery."Garden Spot Nursery featured multiple types of flowers for guests to explore at the Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival on March 14, 2026.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today

A kid’s zone featured indoor activities including viewing and touching bugs, watching a display train, entering a small makeshift bat canopy, viewing live bees and more, teaching kids the importance of agriculture. A special feature was the K9 Search and Rescue of Central Florida where Annette D’Amore and her K9, Prudence, chose a child to hide in the outdoor garden where Prudence used her scent to find her. Beyond the kids’ zone was a lecture where guests could learn about agriculture through a presentation by Amanda Marek with Florida Friendly Landscaping.

Proceeds from this yearly event benefit the Florida Master Gardener Program, which also supports the University of Florida/IFAS Extension and the local agriculture community through events like these. For those looking to grab plants for a garden or decorations for the house and those looking to sell plants while teaching guests about the importance of agriculture, Marion County’s Master Gardener Spring Festival has plenty to offer. For those who enjoy gardening and supporting the community, the Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a fun way to get involved.

Learn more about these programs and the festival by visiting their website here.

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