Link to the Manitowoc Co. Master Gardener Webpages
| President | Renee Lemberger | (920) 732-3365 |
Vice President |
Pat Hollen |
(920) 682-5028 |
| Secretary | Judy Tisler | (920) 732-3258 |
| Treasurer | Doris Magyar | (920) 755-2573 |
Thirty three members were recertified for 2007 and three were newly certified. Nineteen people took the specialized training class on “Trees and Lawns.”
In
2007, we volunteered: 78 hours in youth education
783 hours in community education
2078 hours in support services
and participated in: 796 hours of continuing education
Meetings are held on the fourth Monday of each month. From September through May, a program is given, either a speaker or demonstration. During the summer months, the meetings are held in members’ home gardens where ideas and information on horticulture is shared. There are also two plant exchanges, one in May and the other in September. We also organize bus trips--members can sign up first, then it is opened to the public.
The Plant Clinic at the UW-Extension office utilizes 14 MGVs who take turns answering questions on the telephone or in person. We have a small office for our use with books, computer, and files for the various bulletins. Each year another book is added to the reference library. The clinic is open from 10:00 am to noon on work days May through September; in October that is reduced to Mondays and Wednesdays.
One MGV helped at the Children’s Garden with the 4-H Youth Development Educator. She suggested a raised bed model for use in the 3-year-old garden. The raised bids were very successful, because the children, ages three to teenage years, could visually see the difference between bed and path. The 60 x 30 foot space contained 24” wide beds with 18” paths. The children constructed the beds by sifting soil for weeds and rocks, then “patty-caked” the soil at a 30º slope instead of using boards for the sides. The children love the garden process and are beginning to understand the garden is theirs.
MCMGVs plant and maintain a butterfly garden at the Manitowoc Zoo. The members supply the plants from their own gardens. Everyone pitches in on planting and cleanup days, but otherwise individuals are responsible weekly for maintenance and to make sure the zoo staff waters when needed.
We plant and weed the gardens around the Chamber of Commerce located along Lake Michigan. Plants are bought from a local greenhouse. Hostas and shrubs are around the building, a tree, and the big sign, with annuals planted around the edges.
The MCMGA held their bi-annual Manitowoc County Garden Walk this year in the northeast corner of the county. We try to have it in a different part of the county each time. In 2004, the Walk was in the western part of the county and in 2008 it will be in the City of Manitowoc.
The gardens are chosen in the summer of the preceding year by the Garden Walk Committee. We like to have six gardens for the Walk and a seventh as an alternate in case of a back out or wash out. The various committees meet together several times. There is also a meeting with the hosts and committees to answer any questions that come up before the big day. Newspaper photographers take photos of the gardens ahead of time. We have articles not only in the local paper, but in all the outlying smaller community papers and get wonderful coverage.
The Garden Walk is held on a Saturday only. On the Thursday preceding the Walk, a walk is held for the hosts and volunteers helping on Saturday so everyone can enjoy all of the gardens. MGVs are guides in the gardens. At the end of the Walk, we give our hosts a plaque for their gardens with the date as a thank you. Proceeds are used for the next year’s meeting programs, seminars, other educational activities.
|
Renee Lemberger |
Master Gardeners Manitowoc County Extension Office County Offices Building 4319 Expo Dr. Manitowoc, WI 54220 (920) 683-4168 |