Newsletters
Master Gardener Update
June 6, 2003

Announcements and news for ISU Extension staff, Master Gardeners, and faculty

IN THIS ISSUE

• MASTER GARDENER IN-SERVICE RECAP
• CUT FLOWERS WORKSHOP
• BIRD WATCH
• SUBMITTING YOUR NEWS

MASTER GARDENER IN-SERVICE RECAP

We had a total of 35 (an exceptional turn out) county directors, office staff, Master Gardeners, and local coordinators attend our kick off in-service for fall 2003 and spring 2004 training held at Reiman Gardens June 3. Training sites, dates, times, topics, and program costs were discussed. This was followed by a good group exercise focusing on conducting an orientation class. Mary Ann deVries, Polk County Master Gardener Coordinator, presented an excellent Master Gardener orientation/history of Extension power point slide show before lunch. After lunch, Linda Naeve provided the attendees with a behind the scenes tour of Reiman Gardens, which was the highlight of the day for many. The rest of the afternoon was spent on the "nitty gritty" components of having a training site. The in-service concluded at 3:05 PM. Many mentioned on their way out that the kick off was time well spent.

CUT FLOWERS WORKSHOP

ISU Polk County Extension is hosting a three-hour interactive workshop on "Cut Flowers for Profit & Pleasure." It will be held on Thursday, June 26, with sign-in at 6:00 p.m. The program will be of special interest to acreage owners or gardeners interested in large-scale production of cut flowers for resale.

The cost is $20/single registration and $30/couple. The registration deadline is June 24, with a $5 late fee after the deadline.

The course will be presented by Terry Finnerty, ISU commercial horticulture field specialist. For additional information, contact Laura McManus at 515/261-4230.

BIRD WATCH

The Brenton Arboretum, home to a wide variety of birds, is hosting a bird watch on Saturday, June 7th, at 7:30am. There is no charge to attend the watch. Those interested should meet at the Arboretum entrance.

Eugene and Eloise Armstrong will be leading the bird watch which is suitable for the young and old, novice and expert. Learn how to identify birds by color, song and physical characteristics.

The Brenton Arboretum is located at 2629 Palo Circle, Dallas Center, IA. For more information, please call #515-992-4211 or visit the web site at www.brentonarboretum.com.

SUBMITTING YOUR NEWS

Master Gardener Update is succinctly published Friday afternoons by the Iowa Master Gardener Coordinator. Please send your news to James Romer (jromer@iastate.edu). For questions, call (515) 294-2336.