| Heartland Horticulture | June 2000 |
| News for Missouri’s Master Gardeners |
|
We're ready to get you all steamed up about gardening! Below is an outline of what we have planned. Don't forget the weekend activities include dinner Saturday night on an old-fashioned riverboat complete with entertainment and lunch on Sunday. We've also lined up some great vendors for your shopping enjoyment! An ecumenical church service will be held in the hotel before the start of sessions on Sunday. Get your registration in before August 15th and save $15.00. Our host hotel is Hannibal Inn, Junction U.S. 61 and Market, Hannibal, Missouri 63401 (573) 221-6610 or (800) 325-0777. A limited block of rooms have been set aside for Master Gardeners attending the conference at the special rate of $68.00. Make your reservation today.
Join us in the Tom Sawyer Room at 7:30 pm for a panel discussion on the facts about Genetically Modified Organisms and Biotechnology. University of Missouri specialists Bill Wiebold, Department of Agronomy, and Doug Holt, Department of Food Science, will be on hand to discuss the use of GMO's and food safety issues associated with the use of these modified organisms.
| TOUR I | NEMO Nurseries | 7:30 am - 4:30 pm |
Visit the nationally famous nurseries of Northeast Missouri. We'll be taking a coach bus for an all day tour along scenic Hwy 79 which borders the Mississippi River. Stark Brothers will be our first stop where a short program on grafting will be given. The retail store will be open for us. We'll stop in Louisiana for a sack lunch at a local park, then travel on to Bowood Perennial Gardens. After a quick tour, we'll journey to Forrest Keeling Nursery where we will be shown their RPM method which revolutionized the concept of tree planting. $4.00 extra for sack lunch. This tour is limited to 45 participants.
| TOUR II | Country Gardens** | 9:00 am - 11:30 am |
Step over a cattle crossing, pass the barn and open a book to fairyland when you visit Caroline's Secret garden. It's hard to believe what this little gal has done - built two gazebos, dug two ponds, and created a trellis to conceal her green house and all by herself!
Theme gardens from fairy to pig are found in Carla's garden. Two blocks from the school, the main garden is set up to accommodate groups of school children from kindergarten to high school where they learn to use their five senses, make salsa, graze through the edible flowers and plants, and practice identifying plants for the state contest.
We don't know where Charlotte finds the time between working, raising a family, and volunteering but somehow this small but mighty gardener has managed to dig two ponds, one big enough to hold a cow, lay a river rock patio and create a corncrib gazebo amidst a charming wildflower garden and all since becoming a Master Gardener only 5 years ago!
| TOUR III | Mark Twain Lake | 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm |
Buses will take you to 10 year old Mark Twain Lake. Those coming from
the Country Gardens tour will enjoy a picnic lunch served at the
Bouxdreau Center which was landscaped by area Master Gardeners. If
you are taking this tour only, lunch is on your own before boarding
the bus. A National Park Ranger will join us for a nature walk and
short informative program on edible plants.
$4.00 extra charge for the picnic lunch.
| TOUR IV | Historic Hannibal | 1:30 pm - 4:40 pm |
With this tour we give you the opportunity to design your own tour. The historic Hannibal Trolley will pick you up at the Hannibal Inn approximately every 20 minutes with designated stops to view plantings at Mark Twain's home, Cardiff Hill, the Mississippi River levee, and Nipper Park. It will also stop at several private gardens. You may get on and off at any stop and reboard at your leisure. The trolley returns every 20 minutes. Historic downtown Hannibal may also be visited.
SESSION I 8:30 am - 9:15 am
How would you like to know more about Plant-a-Row and the
Variety Trials, the MG programs you read about in Heartland
Horticulture?
Mary Kroening, State MG coordinator, and Rick Werner, President of
the MG State Board, are all set to explain these programs
and to answer any questions you might have about implementing them.
You've designed it, planted it, ornamented it, and now it's too dark to admire it! Let Carol Rakers of Creative Garden Design, tell you how to light up your life as she explains the elements of Lighting Your Garden. Repeated in Session 5.
Moles, Voles, and other foes! We all fight these intruders in our gardens. Come have Dr. Robert Pierce, Fisheries and Wildlife Specialist with the University of MO, give you tips on winning the war.
The natural prairies of our state have almost disappeared. Merv Wallace of Missouri Wildflowers Nursery will tell us how to use and care for Native Grasses in our landscape, as well as other naturalized plantings.
SESSION II 9:30 am - 10:15 am
Do you need to get a grip on things? Karen Funkenbusch, University of MO educator, will discuss and demonstrate tips for selecting, buying, and caring for tools and garden equipment as well as how to Adapt Garden Tools for our own use.
Water Gardens sound simple, but oh, the questions when you finally get it installed! Carol Rakers, Horticulturist of Creative Garden Service, has the answers for establishing and maintaining a successful water garden in your own backyard.
Have you ever been asked if cucumbers and watermelon cross pollinate? Or, why rhubarb bolts? The answers to these questions and more will be provided by Dr. Lewis Jett, State Extension Vegetable Specialist in Vegetables: Frequently Asked Questions.
One of the most exciting new programs for Master Gardeners is Dr. Michele Warmund's Junior Master Gardener Program for children. It is now ready for us to put it into action. She's here to tell us how we can implement the program on a local level and answer any questions we might have.
SESSION III 10:45 am - 11:30 am
Want to garden with less stress and strain on your creaking joints, or perhaps you want to work with the local nursing home? Karen Funkenbusch, University of MO educator, will show us Accessible Gardening techniques and suggestions, so we can continue to garden despite disabilities and lack of physical stamina. Lots of hands on! Class is from 10:45-12:15, two sessions.
Okay, you've bought 2 or 3 of all those perennials you saw at the nursery, now what? Martha Smith, University of Illinois Horticulture Educator, will help you bring your Perennial Bed Design up to magazine standards! Repeated in Session 5
Have you noticed how good Missouri's roadsides have been looking? Ever wondered how your MG group could help? Danny Woods, Roadside Maintenance Specialist, will tell us about Missouri's Roadside Beautification program and how Master Gardeners can work with the state in expanding and improving the program.
Is someone else eating your garden? Dr. Robert Pierce, Fisheries and Wildlife Specialist with the University of MO, will offer professional advice on how to keep Deer, Rabbits, etc. from enjoying the fruits of your labor!
SESSION IV 11:45 am - 12:30 pm
Have you been admiring those expensive English Garden Troughs in the garden magazines? The other Martha, Martha Smith, University of Illinois Horticulture Educator, will show you how to make them. Class limited to first 30 registrants.
Illinois Master Gardener Glenna Olson learned to garden from her grandmother. She will tell us things her Grandma forgot to tell her about planting, growing, and harvesting Herbs with an emphasis on the feminine side - using herbs for cosmetics and cooking! Repeated in Session 5.
Those of you who have tried know there is more to establishing and maintaining a Wildflower Garden than the picture books would have you to believe. For the last 16 years Merv Wallace of Missouri Wildflowers Nursery has focused his interests on propagating and growing wildflowers. Come hear Missouri's foremost expert answer questions and share his expertise. Repeated Session 5
SESSION V 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm
During this special session we will repeat four of your favorite classes:
Carol Rakers of Creative Garden Design - Lighting Your Garden.
Martha Smith, University of Illinois Horticulture Educator - Perennial Bed Design
Glenna Olson, Illinois Master Gardener - Herbs
Merv Wallace of Missouri Wildflowers Nursery - Wildflower Gardens
