•  Spring 2008  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT A new year is underway and there are lots of opportunities to practice our skills with horticulture related knowledge. We have been exposed to information from, and taught by, some of the leading experts in the state system. Many of us want to practice on our own plot of ground to correct a particular problem that has been bugging us and that is O.K., but an important element of Master Gardening is outreach and education. Let your neighbors know that you are a Master Gardener and have a willingness to help them. While you may not have the answer at your fingertips, somewhere in your bookrack there is the manual full of answers. Find a project and get some dirt under your nails, figuratively, if not literally. A good way to further educate yourself and assist the general public is to volunteer at the Limestone County Extension Help Line. Sign up today, and don’t forget to log your hours. Jerry Davis, Class of 1994 Happy Gardening, Jerry Davis, Class 0f 1994 Inside this issue:   •  Secret Garden   •  Lawson Lee   •  Meet Jerry Davis   •  Getting to Know You   •  MVP   •  The Hornworm   •  AMGA Conference Read more...

•  Fall 2007  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT Fall is here! There is a hint of coolness in the air and we are all hoping for a little more rain soon. This is the perfect time to evaluate our gardens’ performance during this last season and to make plans for next year. If you haven’t already, I would suggest starting a garden journal. It can be a great resource in our efforts to assess and improve our gardens from year to year. If you are like me, you firmly believe you’ll remember when this plant bloomed or when that one first started showing foliage. But of course, it seldom happens like you plan. I never can remember from one season to the next. It is so helpful to be able to look back in the journal and see how much rainfall there had been for a particular month, or which annuals really made it through the summer drought. We’ve had many great projects this last year but one of our most exciting was the Felder Rushing lecture. As many of you know, Felder Rushing is a renowned, international garden lecturer. He is a former Mississippi extension agent and author of over 16 gardening books. With Jennifer White in the lead and many others contributing valuable time and resources, DHR and LCMGA hosted Felder Rushing for two lectures. People came from all over Alabama and several other states, including Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. Nearly 200 people enjoyed a delicious lunch and listened to Felder give an informative and entertaining lecture. Over 120 people were at the evening lecture and enjoyed an array of homemade desserts. Jennifer White presented LCMGA with a check for over $1300.00 as our portion of the proceeds from this event. There were many wonderful moments but the highlight for me was the “tire planter” demonstration, where Felder showed us all how to make a container out of an old tire. As temperatures cool down, and we update our journals, we can spend the fall and winter working on LCMGA projects and using the added knowledge from Felder Rushing to make our yards the place we have always wanted them to be. Have a happy autumn! Pamela Gibbs, President Inside this issue:   •  Tributes to Mary Gayle Ermert   •  Meetings to Remember   •  Meet John O'Neill   •  MVP   •  Reporting Hours   •  Petal Pushers   •  Hotline Read more...

•  Spring 2007  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT Wow! I feel a little dizzy, like I just got off a wild roller coaster ride. No, I haven't been to an amusement park lately. It's all this crazy weather we've been having. Do your gardens look like mine; half looks like spring and the other half like fall? I think the plants feel as topsy-turvy as I do. We all know we are really going to have to take care of our plants this summer to make sure they survive the stresses that they've been through. And our large trees are not immune either. Watch them closely and water, water, water. I am really looking forward to our first annual tri-county picnic on June 16 in Mooresville. This will be a big step toward promoting unity and cooperation among Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties. I know there is so much we can learn from the MG's in other counties as they can also learn from us. There are many things we can do together that we wouldn't have the manpower or resources to do separately. I encourage everyone to try to get to know some MG's from the other counties during the picnic. Try to sit with someone you don't know and introduce yourself. There will be great food (of course, it's a MG get-together) and beautiful gardens to tour in Mooresville. I've gotten a little sneak-peak preview tour and I'm sure everyone will have a wonderful time. I hope to see you there and see you at our next meeting. Happy Gardening. Pamela Gibbs, MG 2003 Inside this issue:   •  Meet Jeanette Hargrove   •  Getting To Know You   •  MVP   •  Calendar   •  Thrillers, Fillers, Spillers   •  Meetings To Remember   •  What's Happening Read more...

•  Spring 2006  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT Spring is in the air. The weather is warming up nicely. The daffodils, forsythia and creeping phlox are blooming. The trees are budding and, unfortunately, the weeds are growing. I know that we are all getting impatient to get outside and start gardening for another season. We also have several of our M.G. projects that are gearing up for the year. I would like to encourage all of our members to really get involved in some projects this year. Don't think that you have to work on all of them. We are all too busy to do that. But we can pick two or three projects that we are interested in and really work hard on those. Want to learn more about vegetable gardening or composting? Volunteer at the community garden or our composting demonstration site at Athens High School. There are several projects that need someone to take charge and really get them off the ground. Want to work in a greenhouse? You can help with the greenhouse at the Birdie Thorton Center. And if you don't find an existing project that tickles your fancy, come up with an idea for a project that you are passionate about and recruit some volunteers to help. I know that we all have lives that are full to bursting with family and personal responsibilities. But one of the joys of being a M.G. is to give back to the community. Our M.G. projects are just some of many ways we can do that. So lets get out there and have some fun. Ready, set, GARDEN! Pamela Gibbs, MG 2003 Inside this issue:   •  Looking Back & Forward   •  Garden for all Seasons   •  Shake Hands with Pamela   •  Meetings Read more...

•  Fall 2005  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT Welcome to the class of winter 2005. Every member graduated in August! I am so proud of all of you, and I look forward to continuing to work with you on all kinds of master gardener projects. The autumn class got underway at the Belle Mina Research Station in August on Thursdays at 4 p.m. There were five Limestone Countians in the class and this was the first tri-county class we have had. Everything went well, with lots of helpers from all three counties. Jim Markestad has developed a web site for the class members. Check out www.aces.edu/limestone/tricounty for class schedules. You can audit a class if you need a refresher! I hope everyone has had a good summer. Fall is a great time to assess what did and did not work this year in our personal gardens and begin making plans for next year's improvements. Bring those good ideas to our meetings to share with the rest of us. Kathryn Davis, MG 1998 Inside this issue:   •  Green Thumbs   •  Sharks In The Garden   •  Celebrating The Life Of A Taxus   •  Reflections On Becoming A Master Gardener   •  Meetings   •  Community Garden Read more...

•  Spring 2005  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT The State Master Gardener conference in Gadsden was a resounding success. The Etowah County group did an outstanding job: They found interesting and informative speakers, they were beautifully organized, their facility was excellent, and they made everyone feel welcome, not the least by feeding us endlessly. Every attendee received a good-sized Pack's Weeping Foster holly (Ilex x attenuata 'Pack's Weeping'). I am now hunting for the perfect location in my yard. This is a busy time of year with lots of gardening and non-gardening events taking place. I hope you are keeping our Master Gardener Plant Sale in mind while you are cleaning up your garden for spring. This is a great time to divide perennials and thereby share great plants with others. Remember to label your plants! The 2005 class is progressing well. I hope everyone gets a chance to meet the new people. Mary Gayle Ermert and her committee have worked their fingers to the bone to provide an excellent class experience for the interns. I’m looking forward to working with them throughout the coming year. Kathryn Davis, MG 1998 Inside this issue:   •  Class of 2005   •  What a Master Gardener is - and is not.   •  Meet Jim Markestad   •  Community Garden   •  Meetings   •  Pineapples   •  Tax Deductions Read more...

•  Fall 2004  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT I hope you have all had a busy and productive summer. The community garden workers have certainly been productive, as have the triangle workers, who have been competing with large trucks for supremacy in landscaping. The state Master Gardener conference will be held March 10 - 12, 2005, in Etowah County (Gadsden). I hope you will consider attending what is always a fun and informative event. There are always opportunities for learning more about gardening with like-minded folks. The Huntsville Botanical Garden is sponsoring a garden symposium with Allan Armitage in October. He is well worth hearing, and his pictures are great. You can experience both his information and his photography in several books, including Armitage's Garden Perennials. There are also opportunities for sharing your garden expertise. If you would like to share your particular garden passion with our group, give Marylou Beck a call. Kathryn Davis, MG 1998 Inside this issue:   •  Jim & Liz Ladner   •  Birdie Thornton Project   •  Annual Plant Sale   •  Gardening by the Bale   •  Meetings   •  Moving a Yard   •  MG Class of 2005 Read more...

•  Spring 2004  •

FROM THE PRESIDENT Wouldn’t some sunshine be great? I look out the window and see weeds blooming and setting seed in a chilly rain while I fret inside. Daffodils, snowdrops, hellebores, and flowering quince are beginning to bloom, and I am ready for some serious gardening. I look forward to the coming year with the Limestone County Master Gardeners. Marylou Beck, our new Vice President, is working on a number of interesting programs for our regular meetings. She and I, and Treasurer John O’Neill and Secretary Carole Barron would like to include some field trips to members’ gardens and other points of interest in the coming year, if the members can take time out from our personal and LCMGA gardening duties. Please share with us any ideas you have for fun and informative activities. I hope all of you can find one or more MG projects to work on this year. It’s a great way to contribute to our community and to get to know our fellow Master Gardeners better. Kathryn Davis, MG 1998 Inside this issue:   •  Tributes to Flick   •  Community Garden   •  Upcoming Programs   •  Birdie Thorton Center   •  Triangle Project   •  Donnell House   •  Past Meetings Read more...