Master Gardeners of Carver & Scott Counties

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:18:13 -0600

Teaching Garden

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:35:14 -0600

Kids Fun Flower Garden (one of many Teaching Gardens)

The Carver Scott County Master Gardeners have carved a multi-faceted series of Teaching Gardens out of the native sugar sand that makes up the bottom land of the Minnesota River Valley running through the Scott County Fairgrounds in Jordan. This garden is a compilation of 20 individual gardens, with more added each year, and several changed entirely from year to year. The gardens are open to visit 24/7, but be sure to stop into the adjacent Scott County Extension office during work hours to obtain a printed copy of the virtual tour. Or you may download the garden maps by clicking on each garden below. The overall garden tour mapprovides a good overview of all the themed gardens while the individual maps (listed below) provide additional detail for each including plant species and their location.

The Teaching Garden was established to provide a sampling of small theme gardens that can be adapted to any backyard. In reaction to our current economic state, the annual gardens in 2009 were dedicated to the theme of growing food at home. This theme is represented in the following gardens:

The environment is another important focus for our group. Many of the plots at this organically run Teaching Garden illustrate sound environmental practices such as composting as well as incorporating a comparison between standard pavers, permeable pavers, and recycled permeable pavers. Some of the gardens which highlight these principles include the following:

Finally, a few perennial gardens round out the selection with:

Miniature Fairy Garden- is a display of small, dwarf and miniature plants laid out to represent a woodland forest complete with a rock stream bed.
Ground Cover Sampler Garden- as described in the title, this garden is a display of ground hugging plant examples.
Japanese Reflection Garden- currently under construction, this display will be a representation of a traditional Japanese garden.
Memorial Pergola - constructed in 2008, the Memorial Pergola garden is dedicated to the memory of deceased Carver-Scott County Master Gardeners.
Kids Fun Flower Garden- is a display of plants that excite the senses of sight, fragrance, flavor, and touch, and includes the exciting "Great Sunflower Project" which tracks bees across the country.

Working with Habitat for Humanity

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:01:18 -0600

In the spring of 2009, the Carver-Scott Master Gardener's worked with Habitat for Humanity staff, homeowners, and various volunteers to create a landscape that encourages homeowner's sense of pride and increases a home's curb appeal. Our goals as Master Gardeners were to make the landscape functional, maintainable, environmentally sound and aesthetically pleasing.

As Master Gardeners, we met with the families and learned about them to determine what landscape would work best considering their preferences, family needs, job schedules, time available for landscape maintenance, etc. With these factors in mind, we developed a landscape plan and presented the proposed design to the homeowners along with providing educational information on plant identification, care and maintenance requirements. After a few tweaks, the final design was installed with the help of various community volunteers. Over the course of the first year, we will schedule two follow-up meetings with the homeowners to answer their landscape questions and provide additional instructions if needed to ensure they will be successful with their new landscape.

We look forward to future joint opportunities such as this one to reach out to and beautify the great community's green spaces, share our landscape knowledge and inspire gardening in others.

View of side yard before work begins.

Volunteers hard at work.

All the hard work has paid off.

Be a Master Gardener

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:35:49 -0600

The Carver/Scott Master Gardener program is looking for volunteers who have an interest in horticulture and a passion for teaching others. Program applications and additional information is available by clicking the following link 2010_application_materials.zip or may be obtained by calling the Carver County Extension Office at (952) 466-5300 or the Scott County Extension Office at (952) 492-5410.

Acceptance into the Carver-Scott Master Gardener program requires an application, an interview and completion of the "core course," or training, through the University of Minnesota. Training for candidates selected for the program takes place in January. On alternating years, the training is either offered at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus or at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen.

In exchange for receiving the training, Master Gardener interns return 50 hours of volunteer time to the Program the first year. To remain certified in subsequent years, Master Gardeners volunteer a minimum of 25 hours and must have at least 7 hours of related continuing education.

Evenings in the Garden

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:43:13 -0600

Come grow with us at "Evenings in the Garden," where Carver/Scott Master Gardeners and guest presenters at the Scott County Fairgrounds Teaching Gardens guide you through gardening topics such as gardening in small spaces, planting creative containers, gathering family picnic or reunion ideas, attracting bees and maximizing pollination, and learning the best ways to freeze and preserve the summer harvest.

These events are held once a month throughout the summer. Join us for one or all of them! If you are interested in attending one or more of these events, please preregister by calling Mary at the Scott County Extension Office at 952-492-5410.

Click on the following link to download the event brochure: EveningInGardenBrochure_final.pdf

First Annual Plant Sale

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:00:03 -0600

The Carver/Scott Master Gardeners are having their first ever Plant Sale on Saturday, August 29, 2009.

Cuttings and divisions from Master Gardener's gardens & house plants will be available. Plants will be very reasonably priced, so don't miss this event. Come early for best selection.

Daffodil bulbs from the Daffodil Society will also be available.

When: Saturday - August 29, 2009, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Where: Chaska Middle School West, at the corner of Hwy 41/ Engler (Next to the Chaska Community Center)

Download file for more information.

Want to ask a Question?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:45:45 -0600

If you have a question on:

Gardening?
Landscape plants?
Plant selection?
Insects?
Pesky wildlife?
Plant disease?

Call the Carver/Scott County Yard & Garden Line at (952) 466-5308. Leave your question as a voice mail, 24 hrs. a day and a Master Gardener will return your call.

Or click on the link below to submit your gardening question(s) online: http://www.extension.org/expert/ask_an_expert/horticulture

Yard & Garden Help Desks

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:27:26 -0600

Bring your plant samples and insect or disease questions to one of the local Yard & Garden Help Desks. Carver/Scott County Master Gardeners will help you diagnose problems and answer your yard and garden questions.

Download file for Yard & Garden Help Desk locations and hours.

For Carver/Scott Volunteers Only

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:58:24 -0600

All Carver/Scott Master Gardeners are encouraged to contribute to this website. Please don't be shy. Send in your contributions, and be sure to let us know what you'd like to see on the "Volunteers Only" page.

Bylaws
Teaching Guidelines
Guidelines for Writing News Releases

2008 Garden Tour

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:53:59 -0600

July 12, 2008, 10am-4pm
This is a drive-it-yourself tour hosted by the Carver/Scott Master Gardeners. Start your tour at any of the garden sites
and drive to as many as you wish. Your ticket will provide admission to all the gardens. Master Gardeners will be present at each site to answer any questions you may have.

Carver/Scott Yard & Garden Line

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:50:49 -0600

Have a question on:

Gardening?
Landscape plants?
Plant selection?
Insects?
Pesky wildlife?
Plant disease?

(952) 466-5308

Leave your question as a voice mail, 24 hrs. a day. A Master Gardener will return your call. Our service is free.

Master Gardeners are great speakers

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:47:32 -0600

Carver/Scott Master Gardeners are available as speakers at your events. Please contact Jackie Smith, Program Coordinator, at 952-466-5309, to make arrangements, but the following provides some general guidelines:

What do Master Gardeners do?

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:43:20 -0600

Master Gardeners in Carver and Scott counties joined together to form a unified group in 1987, with a grand total membership of five. Since those humble beginnings, the group has grown to its current size of 100 active members. These members regularly average over 50 hours per year and keep busy with many yearly projects. In 2005, the group volunteered a total of 5447 hours at a value of $95,595 (Using the national rate of $17.55 per hour for the monetary contribution of volunteer time established by Independent Sector).

Carver/Scott Master Gardener Program

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:34:51 -0600

...to enhance and improve the environment and quality of life in the community

The mission of the Carver/Scott County Master Gardener Program is to involve volunteers trained in horticulture to use research-based resources of the University of Minnesota to enhance and improve the environment and quality of life in the community.