Horticulture enthusiasts will have an opportunity to learn through hands on demonstrations at the 2017 Spring Fling this week in Ashley.

Spring Fling is a free event open to anyone with an interest in horticulture. It will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday (May 11) at the Ashley American Legion Hall.

Karen Bettenhausen, NDSU Extension Family and Consumer Science agent, will present the Sun Savvy program, which teaches people about protecting their skin from sun damage. Participants will have the opportunity to view their skin through the DermaScan machine. It has the ability to demonstrate sun damage that may be invisible to the naked eye.

Sheldon Gerhardt, NDSU Extension agent from Logan County, will give a tree grafting demonstration and speak about tree planting mistakes.

Crystal Schaunaman, NDSU Extension agent, will lead a houseplant propagation activity (to start about 5 p.m.) in addition to sharing information about North Dakota vegetable varieties and the benefits of indoor plants. Participants are encouraged to bring a houseplant they would like to divide, share and propagate. Everyone will leave with a plant!

There will be free Extension Service publications and lots of other information on gardening, flowers, trees, and food and nutrition. There also will be time allotted for discussion and questions and answers.

The event is sponsored by the McIntosh County Extension Office. For more information, call the office at 288-5180.