Dear Friends, March and April are two of my favorite months of the year. But this year with March still having some very cold weather, and what seemed to me a lot of rain, I don’t know if March is really one of my favorite months this year. I say it seemed like a lot of rain because while we were trying to finish our house there was one delay after another due to the bad weather. We couldn’t pour the concrete driveway because the ground was too wet. Then they could not get sod because the ground was too wet to cut the sod at the sod farm. Now that the sod is in I am hoping for a little (and I stress “a little”) rain since we do not have an irrigation system. Dragging sprinklers around is one of my least favorite things to do pertaining to gardening. They say “April showers bring May flowers” so I am praying for a few showers but not storms! By the time everyone is reading this letter we will have moved in the new house and may even be sitting on the back porch overlooking the marsh with a cup of coffee. Of course my mind will be reeling with ideas of garden projects that need to be done on the property. As with most of ya’ll I will be thinking of not only the planting, but also the fertilizing and weeding. Speaking of weeds – why is it that weeds seem to multiply and double in size overnight? And why are they so hard to pull but the precious seedlings of our favorite perennials pull up so easily? (If anyone has an explanation for this please let me know.) Then there is the smell of fresh cut grass. Either you love it or you hate it. I love it! Ah, Spring! I do hope everyone had a chance to go to the Festival of Flowers to be inspired by the landscape exhibits followed by a visit to Mobile Botanical Gardens Plantasia with the hopes of finding a few new plants to replace the freeze burned ones in your gardens. And I hope it is obvious that we have begun revamping the gardens around the Jon Archer Ag Center. Our newest addition is the Herb Garden in the front of the building which faces Schillinger Rd. I would like to encourage you to take a walk around the building and check out all the gardens as they each offer something unique. If you are interested in helping maintain any of the gardens please do not hesitate to contact me and I will put you in contact with the right person. In the month of April we have several exciting events planned. The second spring planting will take place on April 5th. Our learning seminar with Amy Stewart will take place on Saturday April 12th. Then on Wednesday April 16th we will be going to the Jim Scott Gardens on Lake Martin. This will be an early morning trip and space is limited. At the end of the month (April 28-30) the AMGA Conference will be held in Baldwin County. The fun just never seems to end with Master Gardeners!!! Blessings to all, Penny President’s Message by Penny Claiborne Dates to remember: March 27-30,-Plantasia MBG April 1,--Board Meeting April 3,-Member Meeting April 5,-Rainbarrel Workshop JAC April 10,-One Enchanted Evening MBG April 12,-9th Annual Educational Seminar. April 16,-Jim Scott Gardens Trip April 26, -Cathedral Square Market Opens April 28-30,-AMGA Conference, Daphne In this issue: Chronicles 2 Lunch and Learn April Meeting 3 David Holloway interviews Amy Stewart 4 Echinacea 5-7 Mission Statement Officers 8 April 2014
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Dear Friends,
March and April are two of my favorite months of the year. But this year with March
still having some very cold weather, and what seemed to me a lot of rain, I don’t know if
March is really one of my favorite months this year. I say it seemed like a lot of rain
because while we were trying to finish our house there was one delay after another due
to the bad weather. We couldn’t pour the concrete driveway because the ground was
too wet. Then they could not get sod because the ground was too wet to cut the sod
at the sod farm. Now that the sod is in I am hoping for a little (and I stress “a little”)
rain since we do not have an irrigation system. Dragging sprinklers around is one of my
least favorite things to do pertaining to gardening. They say “April showers bring
May flowers” so I am praying for a few showers but not storms!
By the time everyone is reading this letter we will have moved in the new house and
may even be sitting on the back porch overlooking the marsh with a cup of coffee. Of
course my mind will be reeling with ideas of garden projects that need to be done on
the property. As with most of ya’ll I will be thinking of not only the planting, but also
the fertilizing and weeding. Speaking of weeds – why is it that weeds seem to multiply
and double in size overnight? And why are they so hard to pull but the precious
seedlings of our favorite perennials pull up so easily? (If anyone has an explanation for
this please let me know.) Then there is the smell of fresh cut grass. Either you love it
or you hate it. I love it! Ah, Spring!
I do hope everyone had a chance to go to the Festival of Flowers to be inspired by the
landscape exhibits followed by a visit to Mobile Botanical Gardens Plantasia with the
hopes of finding a few new plants to replace the freeze burned ones in your gardens.
And I hope it is obvious that we have begun revamping the gardens around the Jon
Archer Ag Center. Our newest addition is the Herb Garden in the front of the
building which faces Schillinger Rd. I would like to encourage you to take a walk around
the building and check out all the gardens as they each offer something unique. If you
are interested in helping maintain any of the gardens please do not hesitate to contact
me and I will put you in contact with the right person.
In the month of April we have several exciting events planned. The second spring
planting will take place on April 5th. Our learning seminar with Amy Stewart will take
place on Saturday April 12th. Then on Wednesday April 16th we will be going to the
Jim Scott Gardens on Lake Martin. This will be an early morning trip and space is
limited. At the end of the month (April 28-30) the AMGA Conference will be held in
Baldwin County. The fun just never seems to end with Master Gardeners!!!
Blessings to all,
Penny
President’s Message by Penny Cla iborne
Dates to remember:
March 27-30,-Plantasia MBG
April 1,--Board Meeting
April 3,-Member Meeting
April 5,-Rainbarrel
Workshop JAC
April 10,-One Enchanted
Evening MBG
April 12,-9th Annual
Educational Seminar.
April 16,-Jim Scott Gardens
Trip
April 26, -Cathedral Square
Market Opens
April 28-30,-AMGA
Conference, Daphne
In this issue:
Chronicles 2
Lunch and Learn
April Meeting
3
David Holloway
interviews Amy Stewart
4
Echinacea 5-7
Mission Statement
Officers
8
April 2014
I see a few Bradford pear blooms and
some daffodils, so maybe spring is
actually on the way! The long winter
has given us time to dream and plan for
what we hope to soon see blooming.
The DREAM Garden at JAC has
been planted and now needs to be
watered daily. If you have time to help
with this, please let Diane Anthony or
Marsha Stolz know. As of this
writing, most dates are still available.
The workday on March 12 to revamp
the gardens around the JAC was good.
Penny Claiborne and several MGs
cleaned the Native Garden, making
notes about future plants there, and
then they designed a plan for the Front
Garden. Watch for notices about
future workdays for these and other
gardens around the building.
The First Monday Lunch & Learn
programs have us spoiled. We have
learned to expect great programs and,
so far, none has disappointed. And the
crowd keeps growing. For the March
program, Ellen Huckabay’s subject
was Growing Turf. Turf grass is one
of Ellen’s specialties, and her
presentation, followed by the question/
answer session, was timely and
informative.
Our speaker for the March general
meeting, Pat Heroman, of Heroman
Services Plant Co. LLC based in Baton
Rouge, presented his program entitled
Interior Landscaping: Interior Plant
Design and Care. Using beautiful
plants, pottery, and visual aids to
demonstrate ways that his company
uses houseplants as truly beautiful
works of art in the home and/or the
office, Pat emphasized the importance
of unity: the right plant in the right place
in the right pot.
On April 16 at 6:15 a.m., a bus will
leave Dauphin Way Baptist Church for a
tour of world traveler Jim Scott’s
private gardens - ten acres on Lake
Martin near Montgomery. The cost for
the trip is $20 for Master Gardeners.
Contact Brenda Bolton for more
information.
Volunteers are still needed to help with
setup and details for the Educational
Seminar on April 12 at the JAC.
We are asked to bring appetizers, put
out posters around town, lend planters
to be used in the garden, and provide
items for the silent auction. Sybil
Burnett and Sue Stefan are the
contact persons for appetizers, and
Elisa Baldwin or Annette
Daugherty will be accepting items for
the silent auction. Seminar tickets
are on sale for $20. Checks may be
sent to Susan Morrison, treasurer.
Other Dates: Plantasia – March 27-
30; AMGA Conference in Daphne:
April 28-30 (Regular Registration
$100; Postmarked After April 1 -
$145)
www.baldwincountymastergarden
ers.com or
www.amgaconference.org.
Elevated Walkway—Jim Scott Gardens
Probably the garden’s most remarked-upon feature is its trio of elevated walkways that
lead from the house through the tree canopy. Jim originally built them so that his late
wife, Vivian, who was no longer ambulatory, could still tour the grounds. Today, the
walkways provide visitors with a wider perspective on the plantings below.