Lessons I have learned as a Master Gardener
By Mary Fran McClure
WSU Chelan/Douglas County Master Gardener
Oh my, how can I fit into a column some examples of what the Master Gardener program has taught me? This new year notches my participation at 40 years, nearly half my life! Obviously, this connection has taught me a whole lot about gardening, leadership and the value of friendships.
It encompasses the strictly garden part such as learning how to prune various trees, shrubs and roses, the value of testing your garden soil, determining good insects from the bad, and sensible guidance on garden design and care.
I am not a perfectionist and that’s OK, even for a Master Gardener! It’s sort of deciding what’s important and what’s not; for instance, I try to dig out those emerging dandelions, so my lawn doesn’t become a yellow field of weeds. That’s my preference rather than going for a weed and feed solution at the local garden store. Other weeds — some acceptable, some not — are another lesson learned.
I’ve never been a strong pesticide/herbicide user, and my Master Gardener teaching has reinforced that position. That said, I certainly do rely on Roundup to contain puncturevine and weeds that pop up along driveway edges. Other than that, monitoring growing plants and catching early stages of an outbreak of weeds, bad bugs or diseases is the better way. It’s better for the environment and also saves a lot of good insects.
Landscape planning is a favorite subject, so I’m continually adding new knowledge and ideas. This is important, as aging brings abilities and limitations into serious focus. Simplifying gardening comes to the forefront; common sense takes priority!When purchasing a home, location and house are generally major decision makers, while later we ponder why we didn’t consider soil quality, irrigation and a suitable location for building raised beds.
The other tremendously important part of Master Gardeners is the building of friendships, helping others, information sharing and tremendous opportunities for personal growth.
Wow, this could be a couple of columns by itself!
I jumped into the program shortly after our family returned to Corvallis, Ore., following my husband’s four-year work assignment in Florida. I was footloose, our daughters were in college, and I relished getting back to the Northwest and gardening, so this newly minted program called Oregon Master Gardeners fit in perfectly.
With Oregon State University right at my doorstep, we had access to experts in the various aspects of gardening. For example, my co-president and I started an annual seminar open to the public. This all-day February event attracted a couple hundred or more gardeners seeking helpful information on a myriad of garden subjects plus an onsite OSU Bookstore selling gardening books. Yes, this was before easy internet access. We rented the OSU convention center and charged just $10 per person because many attendees brought in adequate income. Admission grew to $20 by the event’s 20th anniversary.
Events like this provided my personal growth in leadership, public speaking, organizing events and many other areas. Then there’s writing a regular gardening column for the local newspaper; that adventure began in 1989, also in Corvallis.Researching information and then presenting it, whether by speaking or writing, is one very fast way to dig into specific subjects.
All told, it’s obvious why I’ve remained seriously involved in the Master Gardener program, now in its own 52nd year of success here in Washington state, where it all began.
A WSU Chelan-Douglas County Master Gardener column appears weekly in The Wenatchee World. To learn more, visit bit.ly/MGchelandouglas or call (509) 667-6540.