Upper Midwest Conference

(formerly the Tri-State Conference)

The states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and now Illinois, hold a joint conference every other year in early to mid-summer. The four states rotate hosting the event. The next conference will be Gardening Through the Continuum of Life, July 16-19, 2008 in Milwaukee, WI

The most recent conference was held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa June 15-17, 2006.

Click on a date to view a summary of previous conferences

Garden of Dreams, Ames, Iowa – June 15-17, 2000

Celebrating Garden Diversity

The Upper Midwest Master Gardener Conference “Celebrating Garden Diversity” was held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 15-17, 2006. The first full day is for bus tours. There were six tours to choose from and I selected one with four wonderful shady gardens, a Hosta nursery, a garden center, Wickiup Nature Learning Center, and Project Independence, a care facility that has raised-bed enabling gardens. Each resident gardener is paired with a Master Gardener to advise and assist with gardening tasks. That evening we had dinner at Brucemore Mansion, a National Trust Historic Site that has 26 park-like acres and gardens to stroll.

The next day started with welcoming speeches by the Iowa State University Master Gardener professor in charge and the Master Gardener coordinator. Then we had a keynote address by Lindsey Lee from Willowglen Nursery in Decorah, Iowa. His take-home message to us was “Grow the place you want to be. Create a place to relax and enjoy your gardens.”

That day and the next half-day were spent in workshops. There were 30 excellent programs offered and it was difficult to choose only six. The ones I attended were:

Dwarf Conifers – A slide show of interesting and unique plants and how to plant and prune them.
Conifer Companions – Included were Japanese maples, deciduous shrubs, perennials, and rock garden plants.
Gardens of the World – A travelogue through gardens in England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Canada, and the U.S.
Landscaping Planes: No Runways Necessary – Design information on creating outdoor rooms with ground level, vertical, and overhead planes.
Shade Gardening – Perennials, shrubs, and trees for partial to heavy shade.
Celebrating your Garden in Design – A show-and-tell of basic floral design using garden plant material. Four diverse arrangements were created that were natural and fresh looking.

Besides the classes, we were allowed free time to shop the vendors and bring home prized plants and garden-related books, tools, and decorative accessories. And did I mention all the breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, oh my!

The conference adjourned with a speech “Celebrating Garden Design”. We were advised how to keep our gardens interesting and fun. I always learn a lot and have so much fun at conferences. I would like to encourage more Master Gardeners to attend them and take advantage of all they offer. It is a renewal of our gardening spirit.

– Carol Berglund, Door Co.

WIMGA Information | MG Conferences | Accomplishments

Links to Other States | MG Program Office

Home