GEORGETOWN—Sussex County Master Gardeners will host “A Day in the Garden Open House” on Sept. 17, where guests can see the garden for the first time after 18-months of restoration.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where guests can look for butterflies and other insects, paint a pumpkin, learn about the web of life, or attend a Peter Rabbit Puppet Show.

For 18 months during the pandemic, Sussex County Master Gardeners were kept out of their Demonstration Garden behind the Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown. As weeds and vines grew throughout the garden, it took an additional 18 months of work to restore the garden back to its prior state.

Workshops and tours will be offered; Master Gardener Terry Plummer will discuss the advantages of using native plants in your garden, while Master Gardener Michele Forzley will hold a workshop on what mushrooms are, where they are in your garden and how to grow them.

Scientist Emmalea Ernest will offer two tours; at 1 p.m., a 45-minute tour of a demonstration plot where various small fruit crops were planted in the spring of 2021 will take place. A second tour of a pole lima bean research plot where varieties in development are being tested will begin at 1 p.m.

Admission is free, but registration is requested, online at www.pcsreg.com/garden or by calling 302-856-7303. A granite-dust pathway encircles the garden, making it at least partly accessible for strollers or wheelchairs.