by Tracey L. Carson, Delaware County Master Gardener
The Delaware County Master Gardeners invite you to join us in making our world a more horticulturally sound place. We are here to help the home gardener, whose success is just as vital as farmers, corporations, and government in these environmentally stressed times.
Gardening has become the number one hobby in our area, and Master Gardeners are multi-talented volunteers who love to share their gardening skills and knowledge with the community. The Master Gardener volunteers are trained by the Penn State College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension educators in a series of classes. Their mission is to educate, inspire, and encourage the home gardener through a variety of classes, workshops, projects and activities.
One of the many venues that we use to offer educational support to the home gardener is the work we do in our public Teaching Gardens. These gardens are designed, installed, and maintained by Master Gardeners throughout the year. They are intended for use as community educational sites for various gardening practices and ideas. Our volunteers prune, plant, weed, and do workshops. Currently, there are four Teaching Garden sites in Smedley Park, near the Springfield Mall, in Springfield, PA. There is one site in Pew Park in Rose Valley, and one site in Ridley Creek State Park. The specific educational goals are as follows:
• Bird and Butterfly Garden…demonstrates how a diversified planting can benefit the gardener as well as the wildlife that shares it. It is specifically designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies.
• Shade Garden…strategically placed to show the public what is possible in shady steep locations.
• Hillside Garden…contains native shrubs, trees, and perennials, many of which will produce berries that are attractive to birds.
• Terrace Garden…purposely filled with a vast array of plantings to display the principles of good garden design.
• Pew Park Garden…a small piece of triangular land in Rose Valley, PA. Highly visible to traffic passing to and from Media. Master Gardeners use this park as a training opportunity for pruning trees, roses, and shrubs. We teach and practice low maintenance gardening, as well as garden design. Here, we also teach maintenance of bulbs and perennials.
• Ridley Creek State Park Gardens…located around the historic Ridley Creek State Park Mansion. These specimens are very visible to the visiting public, and offer opportunities for creativity in indigenous, formal, and deer-proof gardening.
The Delaware County Master Gardeners is a non-profit organization, offering a multitude of programs and workshops designed specifically to instruct and aid average citizens in overcoming their horticultural obstacles. To find out more information about up-coming informative programs, contact the Master Gardeners at the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Smedley Park. Call 610-690-2655 or visit http://delaware.extension.psu.edu/MG.
Do you have a gardening question? In Delaware County, call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.
UPCOMING MASTER GARDENERS EVENTS
November 10, 2007: Thanksgiving & Fall Flower Arrangement
We'll present great ideas for fall flower arrangements. Learn techniques to make your own one of a kind creation, whether in a pumpkin, bowl or basket. This is a hands-on workshop. Bring hand clippers or scissors. We supply the rest.
Registration required for all events. Please call 610-690-2655 for more information or visit our website
