Art fair

Looking for a piece of art to liven up a blank wall or empty niche? The art-fair season kicks off next weekend with the 48th annual Edina Art Fair, a nationally ranked event that draws 300 fine artists and crafters from around Minnesota, the United States and Canada.

You'll find booths featuring ceramics, glass, sculpture, photography, woodcarvings, fine art and mixed-media pieces, as well as jewelry and wearables, all lining the curbs at the intersection of 50th Street and France Av. S.

Fair hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday (June 6-7), and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (June 8). Free shuttle-bus service will be provided from Southdale Shopping Center to 50th and France. For more information, visit www.edinaartfair.com.

Last call for showcase home

If you haven't yet made it to this year's designer showcase home, there are just a few more days to check it out. This year's event features self-guided tours of a 1940-built house that has been transformed, room by room, by professional designers, members of the Minnesota chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). The home is located at 641 Westwood Dr. S., Golden Valley. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through next Sunday. Cost is $20 at the door; $15 at various ticket outlets; free for ages 12 and under. For more information, visit www.mspmag.com.

Native plant expo

Want to create a low-maintenance landscape that attracts bees, butterflies and birds? Native plants can help. These plants are adapted to Minnesota's growing conditions, so they rarely need watering, mulching or protection from frost, once they're established. They also provide a buffet of nectar, pollen and seeds for insects and birds.

Here's a convenient way to shop for plants. About a dozen local growers of natives are coming together Saturday for Landscape Revival: Native Plant Expo and Market, a one-stop source for native plants, plus accessory products like organic compost, rain barrels and native plant seed.

Artist Ashley Barlow's mixed media work "Summer Dip" at Edina Art Fair.

Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Location is the Rainbow Foods Community Pavilion, at the corner of Larpenteur Avenue and Fernwood Street in Roseville.

Hardscape how-to

Ready to try your hand at installing a new patio or outdoor wall system? The pros at Bachman's and Anchor Block are offering help at a seminar on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Outdoor Garden Center at Bachman's, 6010 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. The class will be divided into time for instruction, a hands-on demo and a question-and-answer session. The cost is $5. To register, visit www.bachmans.com.

KIM PALMER