From the President’s Notebook Wrapping Up 2015 · 2015-12-20 · My 2015 notebook is full of ideas, sug-gestions, comments, pros and cons, even recipes and stories that have made

Wood County MasterGardener Volunteers

Wood County UW Extension Volume 19, Issue 11

December 2015

University of Wisconsin, U.S Depart-ment of Agriculture and Wisconsincounties cooperating. UW-Extensionprovides equal opportunities in employ-ment and programming including TitleIX and ADA. Please make requests forreasonable accommodations to ensureequal access to educational programsas early as possible preceding thescheduled program, service or activity.

The Wood County Master GardenerVolunteer newsletter is designed to in-form you about the Master Gardenerand University Extension activities aswell as educational articles. Please letus know if there are any subjects youwould like covered in future newslet-ters.

Teri Lessig Matt Lippert

UW Extension

President’sMessage

1

Continuing Ed.Opportunities

3,7

November Minutes 3

News from Teri 4,5

Newly-electedOfficers

6

Inside this issue:

From the President’s Notebook . . .

Wrapping Up 2015

Special Points ofInterest:

2015 CompleteAccomplishmentReport page 5 & 6

We are close to the end of 2015… anamazing year, very unusual weather condi-tions and many success stories within ourWCMGV Association. This is the last issueof the WCMGV newsletter for this year.

I wish to thank the Board of Directors,committees, project leaders and teams, allWCMGV members — regardless of whatyou did in support of our association in2015. Your commitment made our yearsuccessful and helped me lead our associ-ation in a positive direction as president.The Annual Accomplishment Report forWCMGVs-2015 is included in this newslet-ter. (See full report on pages five and six.

The report format sent to Madisonchanged this year; and you all receivedwebsite instructions via e-mail to accessthe entire State of Wisconsin Accomplish-ment Report. Each county was limited toone page and one photo, plus the statepicked out areas from all county reports tohighlight within the report. The report isvery interesting; you can read about whatis going on in other county MGV groups.

We receive support and guidance fromthe UW Extension Staff, Teri Lessig andMatt Lippert. The entire staff has done agreat job supporting the WCMGVs and wethank them very much for being a part ofour success in 2015.

My 2015 notebook is full of ideas, sug-gestions, comments, pros and cons, even

recipes and stories that have made theirway to me! I truly enjoyed the year. It wasvery challenging as your new president;building a new retirement cottage, andfinally cleaning out my family’s old farm-house which involved downsizing years ofcollected treasures.

Warmest wishes to you and your familyas you celebrate the holidays!

See you in 2016….

Merry Christmas andHappy New Year!

Ruth Cline

Starting Out 2016

Mark Your Calendars

January 7th, 1:00 PM. Project ApprovalCommittee meets @ Courthouse - WR

January 18th, 1:00 PM. Financial Commit-tee meets @ Courthouse - WR

January 25th, 5:30 PM. WCMGV Board ofDirectors meets @ Courthouse – WR

As we all are rushing and wrapping, cooking and bak-ing, I believe many of us are still wishing we could be outin our gardens. Especially at this writing — there is nosnow on the ground and we’re saturated with as much rainas we can safely handle in most places. If this keeps up,many of us will want to start seeds on New Year’s day!

On a more serious note, there are many wonderful op-portunities to obtain most of our required continuing edu-cation hours while the weather is cold. We should take ad-vantage of the fascinating programs offered by neighboringMaster Gardener associations. Both Marathon and Portagecounties recently announced programs and the informationis included herein.

Portage County MGV’s Garden Dreams . . . . .seminar on January 9, 2016. We hope you will join usagain for a day of “garden talk” and a hot catered luncheonat the Lettie W. Jensen Community Center in Amherst, WI.

This year’s event features Mark Dwyer, Director of Hor-ticulture at Rotary Gardens in Janesville, WI. He will talkto us about Creating a Pollinator’s Paradise and Sensation-al Shrubbery. Diana Alfuth, a UW-Extension HorticultureEducator, will speak on Indoor Gardening and House-plants. Our afternoon session, Pond Magic, is presented byRay Campbell (aka Dr. Pond), a nationally-recognized andmultiple award-winning water feature expert from Minne-sota.

The $30 cost is the same as last year. Please note thedeadline for registration is Wednesday, January 6, 2016.Also attached is the poster in case you can help us get theword out to interested gardeners. We hope you will join usfor another fun and educational day!

Char Kolinski and Sally PrideauxCo-chairs

Garden Visions Wausau, WIJanuary 22-23, 2016

Sponsored by the North Central Wisconsin MGA. ASlow Food dinner with Jim Nienhuis is on Friday night andkeynote speaker, Kerry Mendez, is followed by a wide varie-ty of breakout sessions on Saturday. At North CentralTechnical School in Wausau. For more information con-tact Carol Bray at (715) 693-6446 or see the Garden Vi-sions website.

Winnebago County Master GardenersSaturday, February 6, 2016

Winter Escape Summer Dreams. Here are just some ofthe fantastic events planned. Featured Topics Include:Creative Vegetable Gardening, Bugs in the Backyard

Threats to Migratory BirdsUnique gifts and giveaways, fabulous Silent Auction itemsgo to www.winnebagomastergardeners.org for more regis-tration information. Call 920-379-8377 with questions.

WPT's Garden Expo Madison, WIFebruary 12-14, 2016

Sponsored by Wisconsin Public Television, Friends ofWHA-TV, and the UW-Extension Horticulture Team, thisevent draws nearly 16,000 people to view 400 booths, pro-vided by numerous exhibitors over 100,000 square feet.Certified MGVs will assist Agents and UW-Extension Spe-cialists and by answering questions in the UW-Extensionbooth. Hours are Fri. 3:00-9:00 PM, Sat. 9:00-6:00 PM,and Sun. 10:00-4:00 PM. Visit WPT's Garden Expo website.

Director - Mary [email protected] - Jan [email protected] - Karen [email protected] Rep. - Chris [email protected] No. - Roxanne [email protected]

President - Ruth [email protected] President - Julie [email protected] - Famia [email protected] - Barb [email protected] - Lynn [email protected]

Historian So.- Michaeleen [email protected] Past President andWIMGA Rep. Barb [email protected]

2015 MG Board of Directors

Page 2 Wood County Master Gardener Volunteers

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promote the UW Extension from which we are founded. We are a diverse group interested in the latestresearch-ďĂƐĞĚ�ŚŽƌƟĐƵůƚƵƌĂů�ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ͘ �

Wisconsin Master Gardener Websitehttp://wimastergardener.org/

Wood County Extension Websitehttp://wood.uwex.edu

Newsletter & Graphic ArtsChris [email protected] Ten Mile AveNekoosa, WI 54457715-886-1978Please send newsletter bits and info bythe 10th of the month for publication.

WCMGV WEBSITE NEWSOur new website is up and running. Check it out:

www.wood-county-master-gardeners.orgWe have three people along with Teri able to addContent and keep things updated. Chris Grimes,

Peg Klinkhammer, and Karen Tlachac.

Continuing Education Opportunities While We’re Not Gardening

Page 3Volume 19, Issue 10

General Membership Meeting MinutesWood County Master Gardener VolunteersMARS, Marshfield, WI Nov. 17, 2015

One hour Cont. Ed.

Meeting was called to order at 8 p.m. after an hour presentation on care and cleaning tools by Craig Saxe, AgricultureAgent for Juneau County.Minutes were presented: Peg Harvey moved to accept the minutes as written, seconded by Bob Cline; motion carried.Financial report: Presented by Barb Herreid, motion made to accept as presented by Carol Tomke; seconded by AudreyBrundidge; motion carried.Old Business:

Annual Dues form and checks were due at the time of the meeting. If forgotten, please send by November 19th.December 1st is the last day to submit receipts for reimbursement for projects.

WCMGV required hours are due by November 19th. Ruth stressed that even if members are not qualifying this year, toplease turn your hours in anyway so that they can be counted, as this is important data forwarded to the WIMGA!

Question was raised about whether anyone was having trouble printing the State newsletter. It was decided for any in-dividuals to reply to the email the newsletter came in and see if there was anything on the sender’s end to help with thatsituation. No other old business.

New Business:

Extension Update: Teri had copies of the 2016 timesheets printed for anyone to pick up. The timesheet is also on thestate website and will soon be updated on our website for those who keep track of their hours on a computer or wouldlike to print it out themselves. All is quiet in the extension office. A question was raised about whether any more MGVpencils would be ordered as they are gone after four years. It was decided to contact Chris Landowski as it was remem-bered that she was the last one to order them. Another question was asked about having soil sample kits for the chil-dren’s festival available. Teri said they were in the office or at the soil lab at MARS.

WIMGA grant: Ruth thanked Karleen Remington for taking the time to submit for a grant application which was award-ed and will be used for all the projects. The community education team will meet and review plans and details to use thisgrant.

Nominees to the 2016 Board of Directors were announced. There were no other candidates since those nominated lastmonth. A motion to close the nomination for North Wood County Board Member was made by Bob Cline, seconded byBarb Herreid; motion carried. Vote taken orally. Karleen Remington is the new board member for North Wood County.Nominations for secretary was put forth. Sue Wilford and Mike Datka were the nominees. A motion to close nominationsfor Secretary was made by Barb Moes-Kleifgen, seconded by Mary Czaja; motion carried. Vote was taken by secret ballot.Majority vote went to Sue Wilford. Thank you gifts were presented to outgoing board members Famia Marx and LynnBushmaker. They both were thanked for their support to the WCMGV organization .

Marshfield Children’s Festival chair Karleen Remington is looking for a committee and waiting for the renewal formwith names so she can get a committee formed.

Christmas Event/South Wood County Micky Erickson has everything organized. The various organizations sponsoringthe event have enough help and all is in order. Scheduled for December 5th and 6th between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PMat the South Wood County Historical Museum.

Chris Landowski asked that more people submit to the newsletter. Items such as meetings, work dates, news that maybe of interest to the membership would be helpful.

Announcements: Bob Cline thanked everyone for the letters received about his honor flight as well as the concernsfor his health when he was in the hospital.

There was no other new business.

Motion to adjourn at 8:30 PM made by Lynn Bushmaker, seconded by Bob Cline. Motion carried. The next meeting will beannounced the January/February newsletter.Members enjoyed a fun gift exchange, holiday treats and warm/friendly garden talk during the social that followed meeting!

Respectfully submitted,Famia Marx, Secretary

Members Attending: Nancy Lee Alger, Shirley Anderson, Annette Bowden, Debby Brown, Audrey Brundidge, Lynn Bushmaker,Julie Carlsen, Bob Cline, Ruth Cline, Mary Czaja, Mike Datka, Liz Erdmann, Michaeleen Erickson, Joyce Fischer, Fern Fregien,Chris Grimes, Peg Harvey, Barb Herreid, Paula Klevene, Mary Jane Lipinski, Famia Marx, Barb Moes-Kleifgen, Tammera Neu-mann, Kay O’Shasky, Jeanne Osgood, Patricia Paulus, Kathryn Poehnelt, Karleen Remington, Jean Rockwood, Gail Snortheim,Judy Sternitzky, Roberta Stolt, Donna Streiff, Carol Tomke, Margaret Weister, Sue Wilford, Penn Wilkes and Teri Lessig. Guestswere Joy Mareder and Anne Ambroziak.

Planning for 2016 and beyond. . .UW-Extension is currently going through a lot of changes because of the next budget cycle. Instead of sitting on our

hands and worrying about these changes, many of the staff are forming new teams and work groups to drive them andembrace this new future. This will include a re-structuring of the offices around the state, new responsibilities for em-ployees, and potentially changes that will affect Master Gardeners.

Over the course of the past year, the Community Education Team, along with several other consulted volunteers, hasbeen working on activities that will be an alternative to digging in the dirt. These activities will provide an option formembers who are not able to or do not want to do the physical labor aspect of many of the projects, to accumulate vol-unteer hours. Throughout our discussions we have explored ideas and themes of all types. I have also had personal dis-cussions with members and taken their comments into consideration.

The nuts and bolts come down to this: I am not sure how the UWEX restructuring is going to affect my position inthe office as a UWEX employee or the Master Gardener advisor. The Master Gardeners are a valuable resource to thecommunity for their horticultural knowledge, ambition, resources, and desire to share. The Master Gardeners are knownin the community for these things. I would like to build on this wonderful reputation.

After working with the Community Education Team, I compiled the results of our discussion into a list of teams thatmembers can participate in. Some of these teams have existed in the association for many years, and I wanted to includethem so volunteers looking for alternatives to digging will know what is available. Some of these teams are new and someare expanded. Optimally, each team will have a coordinator that will be the lead contact person. They are not necessarilya chairperson, just someone who knows what is going on with that group and will coordinate efforts. None of this is setin stone, it is a working model. I wanted to get this information out to the members in hope of getting feedback andgauging interest. This is YOUR group. YOU are the VOLUNTEERS and ultimately it is up to YOU to steer the direction inwhich you want to go. If nobody seems to care about public education, then we are simply a garden club, no offense in-tended. I love garden clubs. But the Master Gardeners were developed with a purpose to give back to the community anduse resource based, un-biased information. “To educate and share information with its members and the communityalike” — a quote from our mission statement.

So, let me ask, what would happen if I (as your horticulture advisor) were gone? What if the one individual in chargeof keeping all of the important documents were gone? What if there wasn’t a team that working on the Garden Walk, butjust one person who knew everything. That’s a lot of eggs in one basket. We have been really lucky so far; the GardenWalk committee was very forward-thinking in putting together their “bible” so others could step in if necessary.

Let me ask another question. What do you think the reputation of the Master Gardeners would be if there were regu-lar newspaper articles appearing in the local papers covering timely topics? If volunteers were offering programming toadults and children at the local libraries? If there was a garden hotline that was advertised for people to call with theirgarden questions? If there was an occasional booth at the farmers market doing diagnostics? What do you suppose theattendance of the garden walk would be? How about sales at the plant sales? Attendance at the spring and fall gardenseminars? The point is, the more the Master Gardeners are seen in the community, the better response the communitywill have to our events. The Master Gardeners will be seen as the go-to people for reliable horticultural information. In-terest in the organization may increase and membership may rise. I can see a lot of potential.

Here is the proposal for teams:

Internal Opportunities:

Project Support Team Plant ID label making Develop educational signage

Newsletter Team Submit reviews of places, books, plants, etc. along with informational articles and upcoming events Design / layout Reviewers Printing and distribution

Publicity Team Press releases for upcoming events and even for past events Posters and advertising Informational brochures Website and Facebook page

Administrative Teams Hospitality / Refreshments committee Historian Team Plant sales north / south Garden Walk Garden Treasures north / south Project Approval Committee Program Committee Continuing Ed Committee

Page 4 Wood County Master Gardener Volunteers

News from Teri

Volume 19, Issue 11 Page 5

News from Teri (continued)

Outreach Opportunities:

Youth Education Children’s Fest in WR and Marshfield Programs at Libraries Junior Fair Day Any programming targeted toward youth

Newspaper Article Team Write timely articles Edit / review and submit to local papers

Community Outreach and Education Garden Discussion Groups Formal Presentations Demos at local garden centers Demos at plant sales and garden walk Film Screenings Booth displays / information

Garden Hotline Advertised as one morning or afternoon per week at

UWEX office and MARS

Garden Clinics Once per month at farmers markets At MG events such as plant sales and garden walk

Horticulture Advisory Team Provide on-site garden advice to qualified locations

Community Garden Advisors Provide guidance to community gardeners that are learn-

ing to grow their own food

Community Work Day Team Use beautification project locations to host hands-on

workshops teaching community members horticulturalpractices.

This sounds like a lot, and it is. And I do not want oneperson taking on too much and burning out. If there aremany interested people, it wouldn’t be an overwhelmingcommitment. For example: a garden hotline that is adver-tised from 10:00 AM to noon on Tuesday mornings andnoon ‘till 2:00 PM on Friday afternoons. One location at theUWEX office and one at MARS. If there were four peopleinterested from each end of the county, that would be a two-hour commitment from each person per month.

Anyway, these are my thoughts. Please let me knowyour thoughts. I WILL be in touch over the winter!

Teri

By Ruth Cline

Data used in this report represents information availa-ble at writing. We currently have 104 members; 83 of thosemembers are certified. Several members have not sent intheir renewal forms and dues for 2016.

If you are a member and have not sent your 2016 dues/renewal form to Barb Herreid, the December newsletter isthe last information you will receive from WCMGV Associa-tion. We officially start over January 1st. We must collectall dues for 2016 prior to that date. We have a deadline tosubmit WCMGV data/dues to the WIMGA. Even if you donot have enough hours in 2015 to recertify you can stilljoin and submit the hours that you did work. We hope youwill join us in 2016, we have an exciting year planned; butwe need you to make it all happen!

WCMGV program started in 1997. In 2017 we will cele-brate our 20th anniversary. During 2016 a committee willform to start planning this milestone celebration. We havemany exciting stories to tell about our first 20 years. Fornow, here’s the 2015 story!

January found the Board of Directors meeting to planfor the year (this board meets four times a year for three tofour hours each meeting). The board addresses a variety ofareas within the WCMGV association. For example: MGVrequirements/guidelines, programs, project gardens, semi-nars, monthly meetings, projects, educational events, fi-nancial support, garden walk, plants sales, continuedmembership and much more. Teri Lessig, Horticulture Ed-ucator is our facilitator.

During the first quarter of the year committees meet intheir respective areas and plan the year. For example, themonthly meeting programs/garden tours that we enjoyeach year are set up a year in advance by the ProgramCommittee. This year we learned about tomato grafting,certified wildlife habitat, monarch butterfly, swans andponds, garden tools, Farm Technology Days, gardeningaround a golf course and an unusual edible garden. TheFinance Committee put their heads together to develop abudget that covers WCMGV needs for the year! The AuditCommittee met to ensure that every penny is accounted forand that our finances are in proper order. The Project Ap-proval Committee met to review project/grant requests andensure goals are being completed and funds will cover ourproject needs. The Continuing Education Committee meetsa year or more in advance of organizing two educationalseminars each year for WCMGVs and the general public.The Community Educational Team is fairly new but it’smoving right along with educational ideas and a whole newconcept to unveil in 2016.

March brought the volunteer service awards eventwhere WCMGVs receive recognition for hours earned. Thisis the first monthly meeting of the year so a great time tointroduce the Hospitality Committee which consists ofmembers who love to make treats for monthly meetings…plus the group does setup and cleanup. You will see themat the Garden Walk, organizing refreshments and they takecare of the annual WCMGV picnic! They also arrange theelegant brunch at each educational seminar.

(Continued on page 6)

2015 Accomplishment Report

A Major MG Conference in Our Own Backyard

Sept. 14-17, 2016Midwest Regional MG ConferenceWisconsin Dells, WI

Helping Nature Thrive: Gardeners at the Dells.

Join the Wisconsin Master Gardener Association at theChula Vista Resort in scenic Wisconsin Dells for education-al sessions, area garden tours, expert speakers, and more.All details and registration information are on the officialMidwest MG Conference website.

Fundraising is the backbone of our WCMGV associa-tion. We have three hard-working committees who nevertake a break. They are the Garden Walk and the two PlantSale Committees. To be ready for the spring Plant Sale theyplan while snow is on the ground. In spring 2015 the com-mittee added many new items to their sale; garden art,worm castings, potting soil, homemade suet plus a greatselection of plants for sale. These new ideas netted themthe best year ever! The fall Plant Sale Committee came upwith several unique ideas which involved the membershipgetting creative. Scarecrow skeletons were offered to mem-bers along with a challenge to design a scarecrow for thefall plant sale. Committee creativity didn’t stop there – themembers put together one-of-a-kind arrangements fromnatural materials donated by WCMGV members. Creativityand beyond brought in more funds than ever before! Wayto go!

It is spring time that doesn’t leave the kids out – the fun-loving WR – Children’s Festival committee turn theirthoughts to educating children in gardening . . . plus enter-taining them and their parents as well! This creative com-mittee had fun garden games, a question game and a spe-cial take home bag of garden related and fun activities. Mayis the membership plant exchange, a great way to shareextra plants! A few leaves and some garden soil are the onlysigns that anything happened at this meeting as memberscradle their new plants and head home with yet anotheraddition to their garden.

The Garden Walk is by far our largest fundraiser. Plan-ning for the Garden Walk begins the year before. This ad-venturesome committee not only changed the date in2015…they “moved” the garden walk to Pittsville and be-yond! The committee depends on the entire membership tohelp with this giant event — a few can plan but it takes theentire membership to carry out a well-organized event. Thegardens were very interesting and much different than inpast years. On curving country roads there was a real prai-rie garden, a garden with hills, valleys, an orchard and agarden swing, a brook-side garden with iron sculpturedplants and a garden gnome woodland. There was even ahistorical garden where I expected George Washington towalk by at any moment! The committee did an excellent joband the entire membership turned out to help on the Gar-den Walk day! Many positive comments led us to believethat change is good!

Late July…early August was evaluation time. Membersof the board, membership, and the Project Approval Com-mittee combined to visit garden projects located throughoutWood County and the membership area. Each group filledout an evaluation form and selected an award-winning gar-den from each group. Project awards for 2015 went to thefollowing garden sites: Veterans Urns, Lester Public Libraryof Vesper, Upham Mansion, Wildwood Zoo and the LowellSenior Center.

The Community Education Team submitted a requestfor an educational grant from WIMGA. We received noticethat we will receive the $400 grant which can be utilized byall projects in 2016. This grant will provide extra funds foreach project leader and team to create an educational itemfor their project. WCMGV presented a $500 scholarship toa new Urban Forestry student at MSTC. Under the area ofeducation, we update and distribute our WCMGV monthlyprograms brochure and project brochure

that lists the garden sites maintained by WCMGV. OurMGVs have over 30 projects at public gardens throughoutthe membership areas. As a pilot for 2015, three of the pro-jects; Lester Libraries in Rome and Vesper plus the Com-munity Garden in Wisconsin Rapids tracked the number ofpeople they had contact with and the general topic of con-versation. Combined, they reported 166 adult and 107youth contacts. There were 22 designated educational pro-grams done in these gardens and many random questions.

The Lester Public Library of Vesper MGV group part-nered with the library to educate local youth by engagingthem in various projects including garden stone art, build-ing a simple path, taste testing farm-to-table foods, growingtheir own plants, and seed saving. The WCMGVs whomaintain the Lowell Senior Center garden project organizeda garden club for the senior gardeners at the center. Sen-iors are welcome to assist with gardening plus enjoy educa-tional programs and take home fresh garden produce. Atthe South Wood County Museum garden project, WCMGVsparticipated in the museum’s Christmas tree walk in De-cember. They set up a unique goose feather tree adornedwith various fruits and vegetable ornaments…very suitablefor a garden group’s display! A new project this year is theSeed Lending Library located within the Lester Public Li-brary of Vesper. WCMGVs held programs at the library in-troducing the public to this new project. Several peopletook advantage of the idea and learned how to grow theirown plants from seed, properly plant and care for them andharvest the produce. They also learned about saving seedsfrom those plants for next year’s garden.

November’s meeting is our last meeting of the year.Time for fun, exchange of gifts and special holiday treats aswe socialize and talk gardening for one last time this year!The above accomplishments barely touch upon the numberof hours all of you have put into the WCMGV association in2015. You are truly a valuable asset to Wood County andsurrounding borders. No matter where one travels in WoodCounty you will find activities by WCMGVs. Total Hours7,393 x 22.24 = $164,420 WCMGVs Volunteer Service Val-ue for 2015!

Wood County Master Gardener Volunteers

2015 Accomplishment Report (continued)

Congratulations in OrderResults of the November Election

Elected to the Board of Directors: Karleen RemingtonKarleen has been a member of WCMGV for many yearsShe has incredible experience and has served on manycommittees. Welcome to the Board of Directors, Karleen!

Elected to the office of Secretary: Sue WilfordSue has been a Master Gardener Volunteer for only a fewyears but has made a big impact as a member of the Ves-per Public Library Garden Committee. She’s been activewith their community education programs and has been avery involved member of the WCMGV Cookbook project.Congratulations, Sue!

Karen Tlachac volunteered for appointment to theChairman of WCMGV Public Relations. Karen will shadowChris Landowski for a few months. Formerly a Wood Co.UWEX Admin. Assist., Karen has a long history with Mas-ter Gardeners and their community importance.

Page 6

Jan. 6, 2016Portage County Master Gardeners Present Garden DreamsAmherst, WIDescription and invitation on page 2. Registration material attached to end of this newsletter.

Jan 30, 2016 20th Annual Toward Harmony with Nature ConferenceOshkosh, WIA day-long seminar on native landscaping presented by Wild Ones Fox Valley featuring Dr. Darrell Morrison, one of thecountry’s most distinguished native landscape designers and educators. His keynote address “Rivers and Drifts: NaturalProcess in Designed Places” will provide a wealth of information and inspiration for home gardeners. The conferencefeatures nine other speakers on the whole spectrum of native plants and natural landscaping topics will be present, aswell as vendors, exhibitors and a silent auction. At the Oshkosh Convention Center, 2 N Main St, Oshkosh. For moreinformation e-mail [email protected] or go to the Wild Ones conference website.

Jan 30-31, 2016Orchid Quest 2015Madison, WIThis annual mid-winter show and sale of the Madison Orchid Growers Guild will be from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. onSaturday and until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday at Marriott West Conference Center, 1313 John Q. Hammons Dr., Middleton,WI. Educational seminars each day and many vendors. $9 one day entry/$14 two day pass. Children 12 and under arefree when accompanied by an adult. Prearranged tour groups of 10 or more will receive discounts. For more informationsee the orchid guild website or call (608) 592-7906.

February 6, 2016Winnebago Co. Master Gardeners Present Winter Escape Summer DreamsHere are just some of the fantastic events planned: the fantastic events planned:Featured speakers on topics such as: Creative Vegetable Gardening, Bugs in the Backyard, Threats to Migratory BirdsUnique gifts and giveaways, fabulous Silent Auction items. Registration material attached at end of this newsletter.

Feb 12-14, 2016 WPT's Garden ExpoMadison, WISponsored by Wisconsin Public Television, Friends of WHA-TV, and the UW-Extension Horticulture Team, this eventdraws nearly 16,000 people to view 400 booths, provided by numerous exhibitors over 100,000 square-feet. CertifiedMGVs will assist UW-Extension Specialists and Agents in answering questions in the UW-Extension booth. Numerouseducational seminars, demonstrations, and workshops are offered on a variety of horticultural topics. Hours are Fri.3:00-9:00 PM, Sat. 9:00-6:00PM, and Sun 10:00-4:00PM. In the Exhibition Hall, Alliant Energy Center. An admissionfee is charged to this fundraiser to support WI Public TV programming. For more information visit WPT's Garden Expowebsite.

Feb 21 - March 1, 2016MG Educational TourCosta Rica, Central AmericaJoin MG Program Coordinator Susan Mahr on this education 10-day trip that will focus on plants, nature and tropicalecosystems in one of the most biologically diverse areas of the world. Even though this tour has been designed withMGVs in mind (providing numerous educational opportunities that will count as continuing education) it is entirely ap-propriate for anyone with an interest in these topics. For more information about traveling to Costa Rica contact SusanMahr at (608) 265-4504. For more information or to register, contact Mary Kroening, Hidden TreasuresTours, at (573) 881-6316 or download the registration brochure.

July 19-21, 2016Wisconsin Farm Technology DaysWalworth Co., WisconsinThis premier exposition (previously called Farm Progress Days) – the largest agricultural show in Wisconsin – is also oneof the largest in the nation. The three-day outdoor event showcases the latest improvements in production agriculture,including many practical applications of recent research findings and technological developments. For more informationsee the WI Farm Technology Days website

Sept 14-17, 2016Midwest Regional MG ConferenceWisconsin Dells, WI

Helping Nature Thrive: Gardeners at the Dells. Join the Wisconsin Master Gardener Association at the Chula Vista

Resort in scenic Wisconsin Dells for educational sessions, area garden tours, expert speakers, and more. All details andregistration information are on the official Midwest MG Conference website.

Page 7

More Continuing Education at a Glance

Volume 19, Issue 10

Garden

Dreams

A Saturday with the Portage County UW-Extension

Master Gardener Volunteers

January 9, 2016

Lettie W. Jensen Community Center Amherst, WI

Portage County UW-Extension

1462 Strongs Avenue Stevens Point W

I 54481-2947 715-346-1316

Directions

487 North Main Street Amherst, WI 54406

715-824-5202

From Hwy 10 take Exit B/Amherst Go East to KK (1 mile) Continue straight to Main St (1/2 mile) Turn Left/North on Main St The Center will be on your Left (1/2 mile)

A hearing loop is available at the Lettie W. Jensen Center

University of Wisconsin, United States Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin Counties Cooperating.

UW-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements.

The Jensen Center

Registration Name Street Address City, State Zip Phone Email

Public Welcome! Space is limited. Register soon!

Registration Deadline Wednesday, January 6th

Conference Fee ~ $30

Includes a hot lunch.

Make checks payable to PCMGV

No refunds, but registration is transferable.

Mail Check & Registration Form to: Garden Dreams 2016

736 Union Street Stevens Point, WI 54481

Questions?

Email: [email protected] Call or text: 715-340-8378

7:30 a.m. Registration

8:25 a.m. Welcome & Opening Remarks

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. “Creating A Pollinator’s Paradise”

Your garden can be transformed into a beautiful and safe haven for attracting a wide range of beneficial pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and humming- birds. Maximizing the appeal of the garden with appropriate plant selection and the incorporation of other elements can bring these vital creatures into your garden.

Mark Dwyer is the Director of Horticulture at Rotary Gardens in Janesville WI. He has a degree in Land- scape architecture from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and a Master’s degree in Urban Forestry from UW-Stevens Point.

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. “Indoor Gardening and Houseplants”

Whether it’s traditional houseplants, edible options, or something unusual, learn how to give indoor plants what they need to survive, revive, and thrive as they provide us with much-needed plant therapy throughout our Wisconsin winter. We’ll cover fertilizing, watering, light and other cultural needs, as well as various growing methods and potential pests—everything you need to be successful.

Diana Alfuth is a UW-Extension Horticulture Educator in Pierce, Polk and St. Croix Counties. With Bachelors and Masters degrees in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota, she’s been with UW-Extension for over 16 years. She also teaches Sustainable Landscape Design at UW-River Falls.

Garden Dreams A Saturday with the Portage County UW-Extension

Master Gardener Volunteers January 9, 2016

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. “Sensational Shrubbery”

Our landscapes benefit from the addition of appropriate shrubs that add scale, texture, form, and color. However, durability should also coincide with high impact ornamental features such as colorful foliage, showy blooms, wildlife potential, fragrance, and other features of interest. We will examine a wide range of shrubbery for the entire landscape and share examples of how they have been successfully utilized in the entire landscape.

Presented by Mark Dwyer

12:00 p.m. -- 1:00 p.m. Catered Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

“Pond Magic”

Learn simple design in detail as well as multiple uses for water features. Ray's naturally clean and chemical free builds are designed to work with nature. He will explain the necessity of plants, rock and bacteria in the feature. He will also explain the good, bad and ugly about Koi, goldfish and game fish.

Ray Campbell is a Nationally Recognized and Multiple Award-Winning Water Feature Expert. Serving the Twin Cities and beyond since 1999 as Lost Eden Ponds/ Dr. Pond and now as Campbell's Signature Landscapes.

Today’s Conference brought to you by:

September 14-17, 2016Chula Vista Resort • Wisconsin Dells, WI

September 14 - Registration and welcome reception

September 15 - Tour Day - Six tour options

September 16 - Three educational breakout sessions, six choices per session

September 17 - Educational breakout session with six choices and closing

www.midwestmgconference.wordpress.com

Keynote Speakers:Jerry Apps - born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, is Profes-sor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 30 books, many of them on rural history and country life.

Dr. Stanley A. Temple - Beers-Bascom Professor Emeritus in Conservation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foun-dation.

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