There are some who believe that flowers can actually change the world.

Erin Benzakein is one of them, and she is prepared to tell you why.

Benzakein, owner of Mount Vernon-based Floret Flowers and a leader in the so-called “slow-flower” movement, will be in Friday Harbor Saturday, April 26, to kick off the WSU Master Gardeners Spring Gardening Workshop as the keynote speaker. Her freshly cut flowers and floral designs have been featured in a wide range of highly regarded magazines and publications, such as Sunset Magazine, Country Gardens, Victoria and Design Sponge. She regularly travels the country to teach floral design and small-scale flower farming workshops nationwide.

Still, Benzakein’s keynote address is just one of many activities and educational opportunities in store at the daylong Spring Gardening Workshop, entitled “Sustainable Gardening in Your Own Backyard.” The workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Friday Harbor Middle School, and lunch is available.

The program will feature 15 small workshops on sustainable gardening techniques… here’s just a few: growing vegetables in the Pacific Northwest year-round, low maintenance gardening methods, sustainable “hardscaping,” how to plant a garden while balancing beauty, cost and modest maintenance,encouraging and supporting pollinators, preserving the bounty of your garden, cottage gardens, secrets to ripening tomatoes, and managing noxious weeds and insects.

Hosted by WSU Master Gardeners, the workshop is co-sponsored by San Juan Septic, Petro San Juan, Island Bicycles and Roche Harbor Resort. Register online at www.brownpapertickets.com, or call Master Gardeners, 378-4414, for a registration form. Registration fee is $35, and $40 at the door.