EDUCATION » Gardening Study School » Course III Testimonial » 

 

     Monday, September 21, 2009 came in a fog and drizzle, but it couldn’t dampen my spirits as I drove to Midland for the Gardening Study Scholl III. I was looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting some new ones. I sure wasn’t disappointed.

     Arriving at 8:35 am, I got some coffee and delicious muffins and fruit. The food that they have for us is always a good start to a busy school day. I picked a seat in the front row so I wouldn’t miss anything. 

     The first speaker was Chuck Martin, Horticulturist from Dow Gardens. We have enjoyed his classes before and today was full of good information and humor too. His topic, “Environmental Effect on Plant Growth”, helped this relatively new gardener learn how I can get my lovely perennials and annuals in the right spots to show off my flower beds. Just knowing how much light the plants need was enlightening! (Little humor!)

The rest of the talk was about water, temperature, nutrients, and damage caused by the deficiencies of any of these factors. It is hard to put in the enthusiasm for healthy plants that Chuck encourages. He is a great teacher.

    We had a nice break for treats at 11:00 am. 

     Our next session was “Pruning Techniques”, presented by DanVeresh, Arborist at Dow Gardens. He began his presentation in the class room because it was a rainy morning. Dan knows his topic really well and provides interesting demonstrations for us.

We learned the why, when, what, where and how of pruning. Now I know why our shrubs are not as attractive as they can be—and Dan showed us how to correct our mistakes. I had no idea that having a sharp saw and hedge clippers were not necessarily how to make the shrubs and trees attractive. I sure know now! Dan is another easy to listen to and learn from teacher.

     Time for a delicious box lunch and break before we head to Dow Gardens. We had time to visit with our special guests MGC President Lynn Dinvald and her husband, Val, who is our MGC webmaster. 

     At 1:00, we all carpooled to Dow Gardens for our continued lessons of “Pruning Techniques.” Dan showed us several of the interesting trees on our walk back to the barn area where he actually pruned a crabapple tree—with our help! He demonstrated the proper way to thin, and shape the tree. He showed us the 3 cut-method of pruning, how to find the nodes, buds and collar of the branches. Then he showed us the best tools for pruning. After all that good information we needed another break. Fay was there with cold drinks and cookies to get us ready for our tour of the gardens.

     We divided into 3 groups to tour the garden. I was in Chuck Martin’s group and he is a wonderful guide. The garden is full of such beautiful trails and gardens you have to be there to appreciate it all. I especially loved the Children’s Garden. At least I thought that was my favorite until Chuck took us to the Rose Garden.   They have at least 350 varieties of roses and they were in bloom. The trial planting area is also there and some of the plants they test will be added to next season’s plantings. We spent 2 hours in the beautiful and peaceful gardens before we returned to the class room for our test review and departed for home at 4:35 pm. Tonight will be an early night with studying and resting from our hike today.

     Tuesday, September 22, dawned free of fog and nice and dry. The drive to Midland was lovely as some of the trees have started to show their fall colors. I arrived at 8:30 to a wonderful breakfast and that would get us started off on the right foot. Our District VI Director, Pat Wilber, gave a brief welcome and invited us to the District VI meeting October 20. Then we got down to business.

     Our next teacher was Abbey Miller Claerhout, horticulturist from Dow Gardens. Abbey’s presentation was “Techniques for Growing Outdoor Flower”. She emphasized the importance of planning the garden in advance on paper. Designing a garden whether formal or more casual, calls for studying your space well. Abbey shared her experience and knowledge from planning our outdoor gardens to winterizing our gardens. We could tell that she enjoys sharing her knowledge with us and made learning fun and interesting.

     Getting all that good information and having to be quiet earned us another break. The hospitality committee always provides delicious meals and treats.

     Our next teacher was Delores Stouwie, our Immediate Past-president, MGC. Delores had a hands-on demonstration of “How to Exhibit at a Flower Show.” She brought wonderful examples to use to show us what to show as well as what not to bother to show. Of course the roses were the highlight of her presentation as she has about 300 of them.

     Next we enjoyed a delicious soup and salad luncheon before we had our last review for the test.   Our proctor, Nancy McGilliard, did a great job preparing us for the coming tests.

     Our final class was “Making Taxonomy Less Taxing” with one of our favorite teachers, Chuck Martin. He helped us understand the origin of the plant names. After this lecture, I will even be able to understand some of the information on the tags at the nurseries.

      Now we had our final break with cold drinks and popcorn. Those of us who were taking the test settled down to our seats. The exams were handed out and all you could hear was the rustling of notes as we looked for our answers. I handed in my 3 tests and said my good-bys. Another successful Gardening Study School completed. Now I can practice what I learned and look forward to April 19-20, 2010 and Gardening Study School IV. Hope you will come and join us.