Connecticut Master Gardener Association e h T Laurel February, 2008 Volume 21, No. 1 Making CONNECTICUT MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION Annual Symposium XV Gardens Saturday, March 29, 2008 9AM - 4:30PM Manchester Community College, Manchester, CT By Design (Snow date Sunday March 30, 2008) KEYNOTE SPEAKER CLOSING SPEAKER Gordon Hayward Warren Leach “Your House, Your Garden: A Foolproof “Creating Inspiring Gardens - Divining Design (Sir Approach to Good Garden Design” George Sitwell meets Fletcher Steele)” Gordon Hayward is a nationally recognized garden Warren Leach is co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nurs- designer, writer and lecturer. He has been writing for ery in Rehoboth, MA, the largest grower of daylilies and Horticulture magazine for 25 years, is a contributing Siberian and Japanese Iris in the northeast. Warren is a editor for Fine Gardening magazine and author of nine landscape horticulturist who creates distinctive and en- books on garden design. Hayward and his wife, Mary, during garden designs for customers at their homes and have been developing a one and a half acre garden businesses. He is a judge at many flower shows in the around their 220 year old farmhouse in southern Ver- Northeast including the New England, Worcester and mont for the past twenty-four years, as well as a tiny Philadelphia flower shows. He has been a horticulture garden outside their cottage in the Cotswold Hills of and design instructor/lecturer at numerous flower England. His book ‘Your House, Your Garden’ won a shows and horticultural societies throughout the eastern book award from the American Horticultural Society. US, at the NY Botanical Garden Design Program and Gordon’s keynote lecture will illustrate how your Horticulture Magazine Symposiums. house can help you design front, side and back gardens In his closing address, Warren will illustrate the as well as gardens between timelessness of classic gar- buildings, gardens in an ell dens. A century ago, Sir or courtyard, or gardens George Sitwell explored the centered around outbuild- renaissance gardens of Italy, ings. He will explain how to still undiminished in their art- create a coherent landscape ful bearing and beauty. plan that seamlessly links Nearly fifty years ago, house to garden, and pro- Fletcher Steele also wrote of vide ideas for dealing with the Genius Loci (spirit of the the visual problem areas site) and those enlightened around air-conditioning Italian garden designers. units, cellar door bulkheads, Warren’s lecture will illustrate electrical meter boxes, pro- classic design philosophy in pane tanks and wellheads. imaginative, contemporary gardens. No villa required. Warren Leach “Making Gardens By Design” Symposium Registration inquiries: Symposium Cost: $60.00 Members Sandy Myhalik: 860-677-0504, [email protected] $60.00 MG Interns Registration forms may be printed out from $75.00 Non-Members the CMGA website, ctmga.org Driving directions to Manchester Community Symposium timetable and details of session speakers College: see back page appear on pages 6 and 7 CMGA Officers 2008 CMGA President’s message Connecticut Master Gardeners, MG Interns and CMGA members : President: Billy Baxter 293 South Orchard Street Wallingford, CT 06492 The first month of 2008 has flown by, and we are already facing the [email protected] challenges of the new gardening year. Don’t forget your new year reso- Vice- lutions - among which were, no doubt, the resolutions to be better gar- President: John Carlson deners, to share your gardening knowledge, to take care of our precious 209 Old Cart Road Haddam, CT 06438-1272 environment. [email protected] Before the new year takes over, we have some very special people to recognize: all the MGs who graduated from the class of 2007, along Treasurer: Sandy Myhalik with the MGs who attained Advanced status and those who were 89 Ely Road Farmington, CT 06032 awarded their AMG Bronze or Silver bars. We also need to recognize the [email protected] achievement of the first-ever Horticultural Professionals who graduated during 2007. A listing of all of these graduates appears on the opposite Secretary: Barbara Mitchell page - and on page 9 you can read Erica Carroll’s entertaining descrip- 72 Oakengates tion of what it takes to become a Hort Pro. Avon, CT 06001 [email protected] The 2008 MG classes are well under way, and we’d like to welcome all of the MG Interns for this year. And there are many of you - the MG Membership: Kathy Baechle classes throughout the State are full to capacity. We welcome MG In- 6 Christmas Tree Hill terns as affiliate members of CMGA for the year; this means that you Canton, CT 06019 will be receiving issues of this quarterly newsletter, and discounted [email protected] prices on CMGA events - in particular our annual symposium. Cooperative Extension Center Registration flyers for the CMGA Annual Symposium XV: “Making Coordinators (by County): Gardens By Design” have already been sent out, and all of the details Fairfield: Sandi Wilson appear again in this edition of the CMGA newsletter. Attendance at the 203-207-3262 [email protected] Symposium is limited to 400 people, so get your applications in soon to Fairfield Regina Campfield ensure a place. We have a wonderful selection of presenters who are (Stamford): mastergardener@ 203-322-6971 bartlettarboretum.org well-known in the field of horticulture and garden design. The Sympo- Hartford: Sarah Bailey sium is just what we need to boost our spirits as winter draws to an end 860-570-9010 [email protected] and spring awaits! Litchfield: Pat Eldredge As well as being made available to all 2008 MG Interns, this edition 860-626-6240 [email protected] Middlesex: Carol Gregoire of The Laurel is sent out to all current CMGA members, and to previous 860-345-4511 [email protected] CMGA members and affiliate members who have perhaps not got around New Haven: Judith Hsiang to renewing their memberships. Membership only costs $20 for the cur- 203-407-3167 [email protected] rent year, and the funds raised help us to present the annual Sympo- New London: Susan Munger sium and this newsletter, and to support the MG Program and many MG 860-885-2823 [email protected] Tolland: Kay Varga outreach projects. So join us - and keep in touch with your MG commu- 860-870-6934 [email protected] nity! Windham: Kim Kelly 860-774-9600 [email protected] With very best wishes for 2008. UConn Home & Garden Billy Baxter Education Center: 877-486-6271 www.canr.uconn.edu/garden Inside this issue: UConn Liaison: Leslie Alexander: 860-486-6343 Page [email protected] CMGA Symposium 2008: Keynote and Closing Speakers ... 1 2007 MG, AMG and Hort Pro graduates........................... 3 Winter 2008 Garden Master Classes ............................... 4 CMGA website: www.ctmga.org Webmistress : Amy Talbot Extension Center reports .............................................. 5 Symposium timetable and session speakers .................... 6 Windham/Tolland MG Classes reports ............................. 8 The Laurel : A Horticultural Professional’s take on the MG Class........... 9 Hilary Forsyth [email protected] “Pushing Up Daisies” : An MG’s gardening mystery...........10 Diana Ringelheim [email protected] The Laurel Calendar.....................................................11 Driving directions to MCC .............................................12 The Laurel is published four times a year for members of the Connecticut Master Gardener Association. Please send news, photographs and calendar items by email to Hilary Forsyth at [email protected], or by mail to 94 Birchwood Road, Stamford CT 06907 Deadline for May 2008 edition: April 1st, 2008 2 Connecticut Master Gardener Association The Laurel: February 2008 2007 MG, AMG and Horticultural Professional certifications Fairfield County (Bethel and North Haven) AMG certification : Bethel and North Haven Meg Barnes Danielle Lischke Tom Ryan Bethel North Haven Starlet Braden Rick Martin Irene Skrybailo-Meltzer Peter Bull Bob Merola Roger Spencer-Jones Tanya Castiglione Gail Eisenhauer Jan V. Carey Robin Michalak Virginia Teichner Joan Miles Judith Chute Hsiang Susan Church Claudette Michaud Amen Jeanette Thompson Mary McCarthy Anne W. Foster Debbie Mirti Matt Wage Judy Schweitzer Sheila Gervais Adele E. Mooney Jenny Weber Silver Bar: Dean Haines Rita Mulvey Richard Weide Bronze Bar: MaryLee Obert Arlene Hoffman Carolyn Oggeri Nancy Baker Linda Jacobs A. Gloria Ricco Hort Pro Graduates: Lorraine Ballato Ellen C. Koh Christine Rising Susanne E. Lambert Clare M. Le Seelleur Susan McL. Rosen Sheila E. Torres Fairfield County (Stamford) AMG certification : Stamford Mary Bopp Diane Hunt Laura Sprengelmeyer Phyllis Atkinson Silver Bar: Emeline Bravo-Blackwood Joan Krieg Royal Stradinger Betty Johnson Alice Smith Pam Carey Thomas Lawton Earl J. Utter Wally Pugh Dawn Carr Ann Morris Addison VanNess Patrick Conner Alice K. Osborn Paul Wicht Carol Dell’Aquila Cassen Pjura Bronze Bar: Daphne Dixon Brian Prosser Regina Campfield Nedra Gillette Mala Ranade Hort Pro Graduates: Greg Moonie Pamela Hale Daniel Schiefferle Erica Carroll Lillemor Wallmark Henry M. Hull Steve Shomstein Mary Louise Santacaterina Middlesex County (Haddam and New London) AMG certification : Lynn Blakely Judith Fitzgibbons Diana Matsuzaki Sharon Sanders New London County Mary A. Bowers Geraldine U. Foster Claire K. Matthews Susan H. Sangster Richard Palazzo Robbin Boyatt Mary Lou Gahagan Diane Mierz Cynthia Shanley Gloria S. Bradley Eugene M. Henson Jill Monsarrat Sherrin Monte Thornton Bronze Bar: Betsey Broomall William J. Jacaruso Lori Ann Morales William J. Jacaruso Richard Palazzo Anne Cherry Kathleen Johnson Noelle O’Connor Susan L. Watson Jan McCue Frances S. Dallas Katherine M. Kosiba Barbara J. Olsen Louisa Broadbent Mimi Dekker Linda Kriss Roberta S. Padgett Joanne DiCamillo June Kulig Margaret Phillips Hort Pro Graduate: Silver Bar: Maurice Dion Susan H. Lardner Elizabeth M. Possidente Louisa Broadbent Barbara A. Douglas Susan LoGatto Priscilla Pultz Rachel Eckert Charlie Tefft Ellen M. Falbowski Adrianne Loweth Edward R. Ricciuti Marisa Fede Fernand J. Martin Michael H.