2217 Washington Street Greenville, 75401 (903)455-9885

June 8, 2009

TO: Greenville Herald Banner Tawakoni News Country World News Wolfe City Mirror Commerce Journal Kuumba Heritage Celeste Tribune Lone Oak Newsletter

FROM: Becky Wivagg Master Gardener Hunt County

SUBJECT: Weekly News Column B On the Grow

The Hunt County Master Gardener Association would like to express appreciation to the community we serve for supporting their May 30th garden tour. The annual tour is the only fundraiser for our volunteer organization (nonprofit 501(c)3) and the tour proceeds fund grassroots outreach to our county through seminar series, plant swaps, speakers bureau, and education projects at the Heritage Garden and around our region.

First thanks go to our homeowners: Martha and Lanny Row, Betty and James

Williams, Don and DeAnna Hambly, and Onnie Dixon. Without their beautiful gardens, habitats, and wildscapes there would be no tour. The Master Gardeners thank you for opening not only your gardens, but your hearts to admiring guests.

Ticket sales, refreshments, plants, and prizes were provided by our 2009

Sponsors: Steve’s Nursery, The Garden Center, Home Depot, Lowes Home

Improvement, Longbranch Lawn and Landscape, Brookshire’s, Calloway’s Nursery, Walmart (Greenville), and Landscape Source. We thank you and support you in kind for your generosity.

We are grateful to Jimmy Dickey, GEUS Consumer Services Manager, who expedited the hanging of our garden tour banner. The Greenville Herald Banner ran pretour newspaper articles thanks to Rose Marie Williamson who found space for them.

Jim Patrick, Program Director for KGVL/KIKT Radio, hosted an “on the air” talk time with Master Gardeners and our county extension agent.

To Margaret Ruff, Field of Flowers, a big thank you for all of your hanging baskets, which were sold at the tour. Thanks to Ted Davis, a local grower and husband of

Master Gardener Angie Davis, for picking up the baskets in Royse City and bringing them to the Heritage Garden.

Each of the Master Gardeners who donated their resources, expertise, time, and special knowledge to the “Town and Country Garden Tour” made our wishes for a successful tour come true. A special note of gratitude goes to Sara Allen, Hunt County

Texas AgriLife Extension Agent, who sponsors the Master Gardeners and guides us on our mission to increase the knowledge of horticulture and gardening to its members and the general public. Her support helps us provide the community with information on proper horticultural practices. This is done through demonstration gardens, news articles, clinics, seminars, tours, presentations, and by telephone contacts and home visits.

Congratulations to our drawing winners: Ken Bailey and Ramona Gearld won

Garden Tool Sets, Gary Thompson won a Vitex tree/shrub, John Jackson won a Shrimp

Plant, Martha Brumit won a $25 Walmart gift certificate, and EveLyn Oliver won a Blue angel Hosta plant. The Master Gardeners thank everyone who came to the tour this year, and hope you saw ideas you could take home to your own gardens!

In 2008 Hunt County Master Gardeners worked more than 4,400 volunteer hours increasing the availability of horticultural information and improving the quality of life through their projects. They are currently raising funds to build an Outdoor Learning

Center where educational programs and other events can be conducted in the Heritage

Garden. This 501(c)3 organization gratefully accepts your tax free donations.