Whether you’ve got a sprawling estate or a quaint cottage, the Auburn Home Show has something for anyone with a roof over their head, no matter your square-footage.

Opening today and continuing through Sunday, the spring home show—has the potential to draw tens of thousands of visitors, as it has in years past.

Lani Johnston Horan, Auburn Home Shows producer/owner, said the spring show tends to draw a bigger crowd than the fall show.

“I think it’s because we’re focusing on a lot of gardening,” she said. “People are getting ready for summer, and outdoor living.”

That said, here are a few highlights:

Early bird special

First off, try to get to the show early. Eisley Nursery is giving away gladiolus bulbs to the first 500 Auburn Home Show visitors today, Saturday and Sunday. Find the bulb giveaway near the fairground offices, and find Eisley Nursery’s display in the landscape meadow.

How does your garden grow?

The aforementioned landscape meadow is a must-see for show-goers.

Give a bunch of landscape designers a blank canvas (basically, a grassy area) and who knows what they’ll create, Horan said.

Max Naegele, who with his wife Joanne own and operate Foothill Design and Landscape in Meadow Vista, said it’s taken more than a week of prep work to turn his business’s “booth” into a garden combining living things with found objects, water features and more.

You’ve got to see it to believe it, Naegele said, but elements include vegetable gardens, “a sea of hydrangeas,” a horticulture circle and a cottage garden.

“Our philosophy is, if you can’t make it look like it belongs on the cover of Sunset Magazine, don’t do it,” he said.

Edible examples

A highlight of any Auburn Home Show is the series of cooking demonstrations, which happen Saturday in the gazebo area of the fairgrounds. Horan said this year’s lineup features a bunch of Auburn Home Show first-timers including New Horseshoe Bar Grill at noon and Carol Arnold of the Foothill Farmers’ Market Association at 2 p.m. Strings dishes at 11 a.m. Fawnridge Winery cooks at 3 p.m., and Drooling Dog BarBQ closes the day of demos out at 4 p.m.

Uncorking new ideas

Horan is excited about Mark Sweeden Construction, a Rocklin-based business specializing in designing and building wine cellars and other wine-storage units. Find the booth in the park pavilion.

“I understand he’s quite the craftsman,” Horan said of Sweeden.

Horan said Sweeden’s level of craftsmanship, paired with the growing popularity of wineries in Placer County, make him a welcome addition to the vendors roster.

“Placer County is becoming more known for its wineries, so this is just a natural fit,” she said. “It’s very unique, and it just sounds like a wonderful addition to any home. I’d give up my closet for this.”

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Auburn Home Show

When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Gold Country Fairgrounds, 1273 High St., Auburn

Cost: $6 general, $1 children 5-12, free for children under 5. Seniors 60 and older get in for $2 Friday. Parking is $4

Information: Call (530) 887-3616 or visit www.auburnhomeshows.com