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Chicago Master Gardener

A blog for Chicago Master Gardeners providing information on volunteer opportunities, training, workshops and resources.

October 28, 2005

Mums, Moonlight & Martinis

On Friday, Nov. 11, The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory (FOPCON) will present "Mums, Moonlight & Martinis" starring the Conservatory's collection of heirloom chrysanthemums, from 7-10 p.m. Three different botanically themed martinis will be available at a cash bar, along with a selection of desserts and soft drinks. Admission is $10 for FOPCON members; $15 for the general public. Reservations can be made by calling 708-725-2460 or by e-mail to fopcon@earthlink.net. All tickets will be held at the door.

Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:02 AM | Permalink |

October 26, 2005

Sixth Annual Scotts Give Back to Grow Awards Kick Off

Nominations Are Now Being Accepted, So Get Growing

MARYSVILLE, Ohio – In recent years, the number of Americans who garden has increased by thirty percent. Today, that number has reached nearly 80 million*, and many of these individuals are transforming their communities into stronger, safer and more beautiful places. To recognize extraordinary gardeners nationwide who are making a difference, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, the world's leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, is kicking off its sixth annual Scotts Give Back to Grow® Awards.

"ScottsMiracle-Gro has been helping people beautify their communities and protect the environment with healthy lawns and gardens for more than 130 years," said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and CEO of ScottsMiracle-Gro. "In this spirit, we encourage everyone to give back to their communities through gardening."

ScottsMiracle-Gro will award a total of $40,000 to winners in four categories whose gardening efforts have helped grow a better world. Four first place winners will receive $5,000, and two finalists in each category will receive $2,500. Nominations are now being accepted for the following categories:

* Scotts Classroom Gardener of the Year – Salutes elementary through high school teachers who have incorporated gardening into their curriculums.
* Scotts Urban Greenup Gardener of the Year – Salutes volunteers who have used gardening to address the challenges of an inner-city neighborhood.
* Scotts Community Beautification Gardener of the Year – Salutes volunteers who have demonstrated their commitment to environmental stewardship through restoration and/or beautification of a main street, park or neighborhood within their city limits, and in the process significantly contributed to community pride.
* Scotts Good Neighbor Gardener of the Year - Salutes volunteers who have helped feed the hungry in their communities by growing produce for donation to food banks and/or encouraging participation in programs such as the Garden Writers Association of America's Plant a Row for the Hungry.

Anyone can nominate an outstanding gardener who exemplifies one of these descriptions. ScottsMiracle-Gro is looking for inspirational stories about everyday people who go above and beyond by feeding the hungry, inspiring children and fostering community growth.

The winners of the Fifth Annual Scotts Give Back to Grow® Awards included a special education teacher who inspired her class to build a butterfly garden in memory of a fellow student who passed away; a retired draftsman who personally donated more than 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to feed the hungry for the past three years; an 89-year-old gardener who created a 1.5-acre rhododendron park for his community; and a 79-year-old woman who converted a site that was formerly a haven for drug dealers into an urban oasis featuring gazebos, trees, vegetables and flowers. A special ceremony publicly honored the winners on March 13, 2005 at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Nomination forms for the sixth annual Scotts Give Back to Grow® Awards can be found at http://www.scotts.com/index.cfm/event/Home.normal, or by calling 1-866-565-3554. Deadline for entry is December 2, 2005. Winners and finalists will be announced on or before February 3, 2006.

Posted by Ron Wolford at 11:36 PM | Permalink |

October 25, 2005

Chicago Master Gardener Monthly Meeting

Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Garfield Park Conservatory
Community Room
6:30PM - Potluck
7:00PM - Guest Speaker - Beth Botts
8:00PM - Announcements - Nancy Kreith

Our speaker this month is Beth Botts, a garden writer for the Chicago Tribune's Sunday Home and Garden Section. Beth completed her Master Gardener training in 2004. She will be talking about her own career path, some of her most interesting stories and how gardening and writing fit together. Don't miss this opporunity. See you there. We promise to get you home before the end of the White Sox game. GO SOX!

Upcoming Master Gardener Monthly Meetings

November 29-Ron Wolford will provide an update on the Cook County Urban Initiative. Master Gardeners who were winners of the Mayor's Landscape Awards Program will be honored.

December-No meeting. Happy Holidays!

January 31-Tentative-Colleen Scheutz-Head horticulturist for the Lurie Garden. Special guests: Master Gardeners from the year 2000 and before.

February 28-Bill Sahr, Rose specialist and Master Gardener Intern. Class Reunion: Master Gardener Class of 2002.

March 28-Speaker, Keith Gerard,author of Native Plants in the Landscape. Class Reunion: Master Gardener Class of 2003

April 25-Speaker,Anne Roberts of Anne Roberts Gardens Inc. will do a "how to" container gardening presentation. Anne recently received an award from the North Michigan Avenue Retailers Association for the containers and hanging baskets she installed at The Kerryman Restaurant at Clark and Erie.

Posted by Ron Wolford at 4:04 AM | Permalink |

October 22, 2005

Volunteer Opportunities

Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Rooftop Garden


Tuesday, October 25th - 1PM to 5PM.
1401 South California - California and Ogden. Parking is available on the SW side of the building in a pay parking lot. Call or email Nancy Kreith so you can be put on the guest list for the parking lot.

Need volunteers to clean-up the rooftop garden for the season. Tools will be provided. Please bring gloves. Coffee, tea,water and snacks will be provided.Contact Nancy Kreith to sign-up.

Nancy Kreith
Phone-773-233-0476
Email-kreith@uiuc.edu


Master Gardener Interviews

We need Master Gardeners to help interview applicants for the 2006 Master Gardener Class at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. Interviews are very informal and are about 15 minutes long. You will receive a list of questions to ask. Join us on on one of the following dates: 10AM to 2:30PM at Garfield Park Conservatory on November 1,2 and 3rd and 10AM to 2:30PM at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences on November 15, 16, 17 and 19th. Contact Aida Peralta to sign-up.

Aida Peralta
Phone-773-768-7779
Email-peralta1@uiuc.edu

Posted by Ron Wolford at 3:13 PM | Permalink |

October 22, 2005

Welcome Chicago Master Gardeners

I decided to start this blog in order to get information to Chicago Master Gardeners in a fast and efficient manner. If anyone has any suggestions for the blog, please email me or leave a comment.

I want to announce that I have asked my Academic Hourly, Nancy Kreith to take over some of the coordination responsibilities of the Chicago Master Gardener program. You will be seeing Nancy at monthly meetings and some committee meetings.

Nancy is a graduate of the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and a recent graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in Landscape Architecture. She has worked with me the past five summers in various urban gardening projects. This summer and fall Nancy's projects include a raised bed vegetable garden at Dixon School, an earthbox garden and indoor gardening/worm composting program at Little Village Academy and new projects at the University of Illinois Medical Center, Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Rooftop Garden and another rooftop garden at the Rainbow Beach Learning Center. Please welcome Nancy to the University of Illinois Extension when you see her.

Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:32 PM | Permalink |