A Word from Dr. Church . . .

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F E B R U A R Y
the
2 0 1 4
ECHO
A Newsletter from the Collin County Master Gardeners Association
from the
President’s Garden
We are providing much needed
horticulture information to our
neighbors. That’s a challenge here in
Collin County due to the wonderful
challenges gardeners face. It gets
rather warm in late summer causing
many of our plants to beg for shade.
We never get much rainfall, and
lately it has been very scarce. We are
reaching the point where there won’t
be enough water to go around, and I
think gardening will suffer. Our soil
clings to our shovels and is not always
conducive to root growth. How does a
homeowner not just survive, but thrive.
I know! They can ask for help!
Who is better equipped to help them
than master gardeners? Experts in
horticulture train us, especially as it
applies to our county. There are
many questions to be answered and
master gardeners can answer them.
Because we have done great in the
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A Word from Dr. Church . . .
Dear Collin County Master Gardeners,
The New Year is off to a good start with planning and
conducting educational and outreach projects all over Collin
County. There are a lot of opportunities to get involved in and
where you can make a difference. Our project leaders and I can
use all the help we can get to reach our goals. Check out the
eMinder’s email and dashboard for the latest opportunities, or
contact a project leader to see how you can help.
There are lots of reasons why you participate in the Master
— continued on page 2
Save the Date!
Proper Pruning
February 22
Monthly Meeting
February 27
Home & Garden Expo
Interactive Adult
Education is offering
a “Proper Pruning
Techniques” class.
Be sure to join us for
the February CCMGA
monthly meeting at
The Heard Museum.
The Heritage Ranch
Home & Garden Expo
will be held in Fairview
on Saturday, March 1st.
See eMinders for details.
See eMinders for details.
See eMinders for details.
March 1
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the ECHO
FEBRUARY 2014
from the President’s Garden
(continued from page 1)
A Word from Dr. Church . . .
(continued from page 1)
past, we have had more and more
members join. Many of our
members work or have a family to
care for. This makes it difficult for
them to join in many of our
daytime, weekday activities. They
are good master gardeners; they
have the knowledge and the desire
to help. But many of our current
habits and activities make it
difficult for them.
Gardener Volunteer Program.
Self-improvement through
continuing education
opportunities is one of many
reasons why we get involved.
The desire to improve our
knowledge and skills, to either
make it easier or be more
successful, is part of being a
master gardener. Starting with
the Master Gardener Training
Program, master gardeners
learn many ways to be a better
gardener.
We need to put our heads
together and come up with
expanded activities that will allow
these members the ability to have
as much fun and gratification as
the rest of us. I need each and
every one of you to come up with
creative ways to use each and every
member. You can’t wait for project
leaders or board members to come
up with solutions. You need to act.
So . . . what are your ideas?
— Jim Ewoldsen
CCMGA President
Echinacea was chosen as the perennial for
the National Garden Bureau’s 2014 “Year of”
program because of the vast assortment of
flower colors and shapes. To learn more
about Echinacea, please visit:
www.ngb.org/year_of
photo courtesy of the National Garden Bureau
However, being a master
gardener is more than just
gardening. Master Gardeners
learn to look past the garden to
see how natural systems work
and how it is all interconnected
with our environment. That is
why the Earth-Kind®
Environmental Stewardship
Program is such an integral
part of Extension Horticulture
and the Master Gardener
Program in Collin County. I
encourage you to participate in
continuing education programs
that the Extension Service and
the Master Gardeners offer each
and every year. Remember, 6
education hours are all we ask,
but there is no reason to stop
there.
So I’ve talked about taking
advantage of volunteer and
educational opportunities, but
it should be mentioned that it
is my desire that you adopt
these principles and practices
in your own landscapes and
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gardens. The Extension has
always attempted to measure
the adoption rate of
recommended practices. A
program we started last year
was designed to address water
conservation and measure
adoption rates. This regional
program is entitled Earth-Kind®
Water Conservation Demonstration
Program. The concept is
simple: provide education and
training on water conservation
within the home landscape;
then we ask the participants to
monitor their water bills over a
year to see how much water
you’ve saved compared to last
year.
I challenge you to save more
water than last year, by either
implementing a new technology,
like drip irrigation, performing
an irrigation checkup, installing
drought tolerant plants, or
simply changing your mind set
about how much water your
plants really need. In addition,
I challenge you to fill out your
water use report and send it
to me at the end of the year. I
will post more information on
eMinders. Please consider
taking the time to participate
and do your part to conserve
water in Collin County.
Great Gardening,
Greg Church, Ph.D.,
County Extension Agent — Horticulture
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service –
Collin County
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the ECHO
FEBRUARY 2014
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Project Spotlight: CCMGA Volunteers
So what are some of the ways you can earn your
volunteer hours by working “behind the scenes”? Well, as
the newsletter editor and communications team coordinator,
I can tell you where we need some help:
by Bonnie Landon, Newsletter Editor
Someone once said, “Volunteers aren’t paid, not because they
are worthless, but because they are priceless.” As a CCMGA
project leader, I couldn’t agree more! You, our volunteers,
are the very heart of our organization. Without the
countless hours you devote to CCMGA activities each year,
we would be unable to fulfill our mission. What is our
mission, you ask? It is to “to assist our horticulture agent by
educating the citizens of Collin County.”
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How do we assist Dr. Church? In countless ways! We
interact with the public at our three annual events: The
Garden Show, The Plant Sale and the Bulb & Perennial
Mart. We work the phone and email on the Help Desk. We
also work behind the scenes to enable our CCMGA activities
to succeed. And we get to earn, and be recognized for, our
volunteer hours as a bonus!
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There are a lot of opportunities to earn your volunteer
hours coming your way in the next few months. In March,
there’s The Garden Show 2014, followed in April by The
Plant Sale. Then, in October, there’s The Bulb & Perennial
Mart. And those are just our big events! There are so many
more ways to earn those volunteer hours.
Organizing/categorizing our database of photos from
past events
Writers for seasonal, timely, researched based articles
for GWG of interest to our readers
Photographers to take pictures of the Myers Park
research/demo gardens in different seasons
An eMinders liaison for the newsletter
A MailChimp admin - this person would accept/review
requests for MailChimp communications (i.e., up to
three MailChimp emails for an event - Save the Date, In
Two Weeks . . . Day Before reminder)
Social media liaison for each project (Martha Fipps and
Kathleen Brooks are doing this for CCMGA right now,
but each project should have someone who emails
Martha and/or Kathleen with project updates that
would be of interest to the gardeners of Collin County.)
That’s just a short list for one project and team. Not
interested in working with the newsletters or communications
team? No problem! Just talk to one of the other project leaders.
(They are listed on the last page of this newsletter.) I know that
Janet Kirklen needs volunteers to help with our website.
Kathleen Brooks would be happy to talk to you about ways
you can assist Interactive Adult Education behind the
scenes. I’m sure other projects have opportunities as well.
By now, I know some of our interns, and even some of our
Master Gardeners are thinking, “I work full time, how am I
supposed to earn my hours?” Or, “I take care of my elderly parents
(or a child with a disability), I need to be able to volunteer on my
own schedule, not someone else’s.” I hear you!
A little over a year ago, I was a brand new intern who was
also taking care of my elderly, handicapped father, helping
run our graphic design business, as well as being a wife and
mother. I was grumbling thinking the same things! So I
looked for opportunities that would fit my schedule. That’s
how I became involved with The ECHO and The Garden
Wise Gazette. And — to make a long story short — I ended
2013 with nearly 350 volunteer hours! And the majority of
those hours were worked according to my schedule.
I invite project leaders to send me a list of their “behind
the scenes” opportunities as soon as possible. I’d love to
include those lists in the next issue of The Echo.
In the meantime . . . The Garden Show 2014 is just
around the corner. And it’s on a weekend! I know their
team would love for you to volunteer to help wherever you
can because . . . we love our CCMGA volunteers!
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the ECHO
FEBRUARY 2014
CCMGA 2013 Volunteer Recognition
Master Gardener of the Year
Intern of the Year
Robin Lankford
Bonnie Landon
Class of 2012
Karen Algrim
Frank Alegria
Martha Cavazos-Fipps
Kathy Commer
Lechell Currin
Sharon Dietz
Gordana Djumic
Jeanie Erwin
Andy Estes
Pat Fenton
Durinda Fisher
Scott Harmon
Jo Henderson
Linda Hull
Carol Joy Jeffries
Kari Kennedy Flowers
Amy Krupka
Blake Kunkel
Bonnie Landon
Max Maxwell
Traci McAlister
Susan McNeal
Maureen Miller
Becky Montgomery
Rita Murph
Lynn Nored
Teresa Pool
Bettie Riall
Kimberly Schultz
Melodie Smith
Shelly Stevens
Lee Street
Bridget Trosper
Carlisle Walters
Curlytop Welch
Cathy Westmoreland
Bill Whitfield
Randy Wilson
Edward Wolfgang
Master Gardener Tenure Awards
Fi v e Y ea r
Ba d ge s & Pi n s
Cindy Bachli
Jean Bassett
Kathy Bosworth
Jennifer Burk
Don Engelbrecht
Sherry Fabricant
Terri Lytle
Joanne Pospisil
David Spadoni
Kathryn Stevens
Pam Thompson
Marilyn Van Pelt
Sue White
Dolores Williams
Master Gardener Career Service Awards
T e n Y ea r
Ba d ge s & Pi n s
Beverly Adkins
Becky Alexander
Erin Hoffer
Janice Miller
Pat Piaschyk
Kathrin Ponder
Linda Secor-Johnson
> 5,0 0 0 Ca r ee r H ou r s
> 1,0 0 0 Ca r ee r H ou r s
Diane Sharp
David Spadoni
Bruce Batman
Joy Bradford
Robin Lankford
Charlie O’Halloran
Linda St. Romain
Susan Owens
Diane Poston
> 3,0 0 0 Ca r ee r H ou r s
Renee Ferguson
> 2,0 0 0 Ca r ee r H ou r s
Fi f te en Y ea r Ba dge s
& Pi n s
Jim Ewoldsen
Carrie Dubberly
Master Gardener Annual Service Awards and President’s Service Awards
> 5 00 V o l u n te e r H o u rs
Bruce Batman
Jim Ewoldsen
Robin Lankford
Diane Sharp
David Spadoni
Linda St. Romain
> 2 50 V o l u n te e r H o u rs
Joy Bradford
Rebecca Brown
Joyce Cleary
Marilee Crawford
Judy Ewoldsen
Renee Ferguson
Durinda Fisher
Linda Hull
Carol Joy Jeffreys
Janet Kirklen
Diane Kufert
Bonnie Landon
Penny Leblanc
Bill Lily
Traci McAlister
Charlie O’Halloran
Joanne Pospisil
Kimberly Schultz
Carol Wooten
> 1 00 V o l u n te e r H o u rs
Beverly Adkins
Judy Stalcup Aerdts
Chrissy Applegate
Jean Bassett
Shelley Benz
Kathleen Brooks
Gigi Brookshire
Marge Bryan
Vicki Burk
Vicki Ann Burkley
Martha Cavazos-Fipps
Kay Clifton
Kathy Crommer
March Davenport
Tony Dennis
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Beth DiGioia
Jeannie Erwin
Pat Fenton
Rodger Fortney
Nancy Harmon
Scott Harmon
Jo Henderson
Mary Nell Jackson
Amy Krupka
Katy Lacy
Kathleen Lo Sapio
Max Maxwell
Mary Means
Becky Montgomery
Rita Murph
Lynn S. Nored
Dawn Oldfield
Jo Ann Poore
Suzanne Powell
Bettie Riall
Jacalyn Schwitter
Lee Street
Jo Linda Thompson
Sheri Twiggs
Jamie Upson
Curlytop Welch
Sue White
Bill Whitfield
Randy Wilson
Edward Wolfgang
Marcie York
the ECHO
FEBRUARY 2014
Project Spotlight: CCMGA Scholarship
College Scholarship to be awarded
article by Joy Bradford, Scholarship Committee Chairperson
image courtesy of cooldesign/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The Collin County Master Gardener Association (CCMGA), an integral part of
the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will award a $1,000 scholarship to a
Collin County Texas high school senior for the 2013-2014 academic year.
This award is available to a graduating high school senior (Class of 2014) who is a
resident of Collin County and who intends to select any one of the following as a college major: Botany,
Entomology, Environmental Science, Forestry, or Horticulture.
To apply, a student must complete and submit the following no later than 4:00 pm on April 25, 2014:
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an application
a 400-word essay describing his/her college goals, and
two teacher references
The scholarship will be awarded on or before May 21, 2014. The application may be
obtained at:
http://ccmgatx.org/community-service/youth-educational-programs
Send completed requirements to:
Dr. Greg Church
Collin County Horticulture Agent
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
825 N. McDonald Street, Suite 150
McKinney, TX 75069
Project Spotlight:
The Garden Show 2014
article by Bonnie Landon, Newsletter Editor
image courtesy of CCMGA
The Garden Show 2014 will be held on Saturday, March 22nd from 9 am to 5 pm and on
Sunday, March 23rd from 11 am to 5 pm at Myers Park & Event Center in McKinney. On
Friday, March 21st, we will need lots of volunteers to help set up for the show. There will be
lots of opportunities to earn volunteer hours on each of these days. Friday will be a long
workday, but don’t worry. Each area will schedule volunteers in shifts.
Many of our CCMGA projects will have booths and demos including Interactive Adult
Education, Water Conservation, Children’s Activities, Bulb & Perennial Mart, to name a
few. There will also be speakers’ presentations and tours of the award-winning research and
demonstration gardens. Help will be needed to set up and break down the show, in the
hospitality area, directing traffic, running errands around the show, and so much more.
There’s something for everyone and we need your help!
Stay tuned to eMinders for information on how to volunteer. Just like last year, we will be
using SignUp Genius to get everyone signed up. Also, we will be having a training meeting
on March 20th at Myers Park in lieu of the General Monthly Meeting. You’ll be able to learn
more about all the different volunteer positions and ask questions, so don’t miss it!
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the ECHO
FEBRUARY 2014
Member News
— December 2013 —
The ECHO is moving!
Milestone: 50 Hours
Future issues of the ECHO
will be found at:
Congratulations to the following Master
Gardeners who have given 50 hours or more
of volunteer time to CCMGA
(as of 12/31/13).
www.ccmgatx.org/admin
Charles Trudeau
Watch eMinders for more details!
Milestone: 100 Hours
Congratulations to the following Master
Gardeners who have given 100 hours or more
of volunteer time to CCMGA
(as of 12/31/13).
Tony Dennis
Walter Holt
PLEASE NOTE — Important Changes for 2014
Proper
Pruning
Techniques
Interactive Adult Education is
offering a workshop on Saturday,
February 22 from 9 – 11 am with
registration starting at 8:30 am.
Rob Wier, pruning expert, will
be our guest speaker. This is the
season for pruning many plants
here in North Texas. Join us to
learn about the best cuts and
tools for the job.
Master Gardeners can earn 2 continuing
education hours for attending this class.
Due to changes to the County printing services performed by the Extension
Office IT department, Master Gardeners are no longer able to use these services.
We will need to plan to pay for printing services. We encourage the use of
electronic media via our website and email distribution services. Please contact
Jim Ewoldsen, Bonnie Landon or Janet Kirklen with questions.
Due to the growth of the Master Gardener program and the limitations of the
Extension Office facilities, the Conference Room at the Extension Office is no
longer available for Master Gardener meetings. There are numerous conference
rooms, meeting rooms, fire stations, restaurants, and other facilities that can
accommodate your meetings. (Please check with board members and project leaders for
suggestions.) Myers Park has offered the use of their facilities for Master Gardener
meetings. These facilities are subject to availability and requests should be limited
to off peak use. At this time we ask that Myers Park reservation requests be sent
by email to Bruce Batman.
Help Desk Mentor Training
Interested in mentoring our new interns on the Help Desk during 2014?
Then please attend one of the training sessions to learn about our new
Orientation Guide and new software on our new computers. Training
sessions have been scheduled for:
•
Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 1 pm
•
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 10 am
Choose the one that best fits your schedule.
The training will take place at the
The Landing at Myers Park and will
last 1 to 1.5 hours. If you are
interested in getting to meet some of
our newest members and helping them
get started on the Help Desk, contact
Suzanne Powell at:
[email protected]
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You know you’re a
Master Gardener when . . .
• You have to wash your hair to get
your fingernails clean.
• You sneak home a 7’ Japanese
maple and wonder if your spouse
will notice.
• You always carry a shovel and a
plastic bag in your trunk as
emergency tools.
• You buy a bigger truck so you
can haul more mulch.
• You spend more time volunteering
than you do at home.
the ECHO
FEBRUARY 2014
In the March/April issue of the GWG
In the March issue of the ECHO:
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President’s Letter
Extension Agent Letter
Member News
Save the Date
Project Spotlight: The Plant Sale
Project Spotlight: Help Desk
Project Spotlight: Social Committee
All articles should be submitted to editor no later than
February 8, 2014. Please send your articles to:
B o n n ie L an d o n, Ed i to r a t :
n e ws l e tt e r@ c c mg at x . o rg
The Collin County
Master Gardeners
Association
(CCMGA)
825 N. McDonald Street
Suite 150
McKinney, TX 75069
(972) 548-4219
www.ccmgatx.org
www.collin-tx.tamu.edu
Email: [email protected]
Our Master Gardener program
is an educational and volunteer
program affiliated with the Texas
A&M™ Agrilife Extension Service of
the Texas A&M University system.
The 200+ members of CCMGA
are citizens of the local community
who not only take an active interest
in their own lawns, trees, and
gardens but also strive to promote
sound horticultural practices in the
community. Members receive
invaluable training and continuing
opportunities for education, and then
share their horticultural expertise
through a wide variety of projects
benefiting Collin County residents
and organizations.
Newsletter Editor – Bonnie Landon
Email: [email protected]
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Project Spotlight: The Garden Show 2014
Project Spotlight: The Plant Sale 2014
Project Spotlight: 2014 Scholarship
Research & Demo Gardens: Perennials
Upcoming Events
Gardening Feature(s)
Monthly Gardening Checklists
Help Desk FAQ
All articles should be submitted to editor no later than
February 15, 2014. Please send your articles to:
B o n n ie L a nd o n , Ed i t o r at :
n e ws l e tt e r@ c c mg at x . o rg
2014 CCMGA Officers
President ..................... Jim Ewoldsen
Vice President ............. Katy Lacy
Treasurer .................... Nancy Harmon
Secretary ..................... Joyce Cleary
Membership Hours
Coordinator ............. Pat Fenton
Volunteer
Coordinator ............. Marilee Crawford
Past-President ............. Renee Ferguson
2014 Project Leaders
Bulb & Perennial Mart .. Diane Kufert
eMinders..................... Linda Carrington
Extension/Help
Desk Admin ............ Suzanne Powell
Horticulture Therapy ... Marge Bryan
Hospitality .................. Carolyn Curfman /
Joe Poore
Information Booths ..... Joy Bradford
Interactive Adult
Education ................ Kathleen Brooks
Master Gardener
Training Class ....... Traci McAlister /
Kim Schultz
Plant Sale .................... Tony Dennis
Publicity ..................... Dawn Oldfield
Research & Demo
Gardens .................. Robin Lankford /
Bruce Batman
Rooted in the Past ....... Judy Aerdts
Scholarship ................. Joy Bradford
Social Committee ........ Jean Bassett /
................................... Fran Goldman
Speakers Bureau .......... Becky Cavender /
Kathy Commer
The Garden Show ....... Bruce Batman /
Linda St. Romain
Water Conservation .... Randy Wilson
Website....................... Janet Kirklen
Youth Education ......... Becky Brown /
Carol Wooten
Collin County
Extension Horticulture
825 N. McDonald Street
Suite 150
McKinney, TX 75069
(972) 548-4232
Metro: (972) 424-1460 x 4232
County Extension Agent
Greg Church, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Church joined the Collin
County Extension Office on
February 1, 2008. He provides
leadership and guidance for the
CCMGA.
Extension programs serve people of
all ages regardless of socioeconomic level,
race, color, sex, religion, disability, or
nation origin. Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service is a statewide
educational agency and is a partnership
between Collin County Commissioners’
Court, the Texas A&M University
System and the United States
Department of Agriculture.