Five Rivers MetroParks is kicking off the gardening season with its 18th annual Miami Valley Gardening Conference on Saturday, March 2, at the Sinclair Community College Ponitz Center.

“Learn from Nature” is the theme for the daylong event that features author, gardener and Garden Confidential podcaster Andrew Keys who will offer advice on making plant choices. Dr. Lee Reich is returning this year and will provide “weedless gardening” advice.

In addition to the two speakers, the daylong conference also includes breakout sessions on gardening lessons from nature, recovering from the drought, power flower gardening and dynamite sustainable design. New this year is a Garden Learning Area where local garden centers have set up tables. Garden center personnel will be available to talk with conference attendees.

The annual conference attracts about 300 people, said Betty Hoevel, Five Rivers MetroParks education supervisor and coordinator of the annual conference. It comes at a time of year when gardeners are anxious to return to gardening, but the Ohio weather is not quite right for it.

“The advantage of this is you have time to process it,” Hoevel said.

Keys, the headliner of this year’s conference, is author of the book, “Why Grow That When You Can Grow This? 255 Extraordinary Alternatives to Everyday Problem Plants.”

“Some ‘prima donna’ plants are very fussy and aren’t best suited for our Ohio climate,” Hoevel said. “But swapping in natives or other more ‘laid back’ plants will get you the look you want without the extra labor and maintenance.”

Reich, a “farmdener” who is taking his plant and soil research conducted with Cornell University and the United States Department of Agriculture on the road, will give the keynote address. In his top-down approach to gardening, Reich explains how taking care of the top layer of soil can make a big difference in your garden.

Reich is the author of several garden books and writes a column for the Associated Press. His farmden has been featured in several publications including the New York Times and Martha Stewart Living.

Hoevel said that many topics for the annual conference come from questions asked during the MetroParks programs throughout the year.

The conference runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration is $50 online and $60 for walk-in and phone registration. The fee includes a breakfast snack, full lunch and parking.

For a complete schedule of events and registration, visit www.metroparks.org/conference or call Hoevel at (937) 277-6545.