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Expand your gardening knowledge by attending Tuesday Evenings in the Garden classes to sharpen your skills and learn the latest techniques on topics including the Science of Pruning, Cooking with Edible Weeds and Flowers, Lasagna Gardening, Digital Photo Editing, Seed Saving and more.
Classes are offered most Tuesdays from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park. Fees range from $10 - $25. Call (651) 480-7700 to register for classes.
In the event of rain, classes will meet across the street at the UMore Park office.
Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park
1605 West 160th St.
Rosemount, MN 55068
To see the complete schedule of 2012 classes, click on the link below:
Tuesdays_2012.pdf
Recently, Master Gardeners of Dakota County created a blog hosted by Area Voices that will feature garden articles written on a variety of relevant topics designed to educate. Articles will be posted once a month from April through September. Look for our postings at Garden Talk. Our May post includes two parts, a portion of which is here. To view the entire article, click on the link above.
From Blah!! To Ahhhhh
Part 1 - Color in Your Garden
Color is one of the primary elements of design, but how it is incorporated in the garden design plays a huge part in determining the garden's beauty and impact.
Before getting in the dirt, make a plan and put it down on paper or on the computer. Why have a plan?
• Plants bloom at different times during the season
• Leaf colors may change
• Plant size will change (some will continue to grow, others may be short lived and die back to the ground during the season)
• Plants have different color flowers
Include all of these details on your plan. You may need multiple versions of your plan to show the different growth stages of your garden. Whether a plan is followed or not is the difference between a Blah garden and an Ahhhhh garden.
How Light Affects Color
• Overcast intensifies pastels
• Bright light makes pastels fade
• Pastels lighten up shadows whereas dark colors are gloomy in the shade
• Hot colors are brilliant in full sun
• Yellow and orange seem closer than they are and are easy to see
• Blue and lavender seem farther away than they are and are not easily seen from a distance
• Use pastels and hot colors in gardens seen from afar or in shaded areas
• White or variegated foliage brightens a shaded area
Part 2 - Texture in Your Garden
Texture is another of the primary elements of design. How it is incorporated in the garden design plays a huge part in determining the garden's beauty and impact. Contrast in textures will create a visually pleasing arrangement.
What is Texture?
• Texture is visual or tactile characteristics of a surface
• Texture gives a plant or shrub its visual weight and we see it as fine, medium or coarse
• For examples of texture go to http://www.sustland.umn.edu/design/texture.htm
Tropical texture
• Use plants with big and bold leaves
• Incorporate house plants outdoors in the summer
• Place plants close together for a lush look
• Some examples of plants
Canna
Ornamental grasses
Castor bean - remember castor beans are poisonous
• Bold architectural plant examples:
Ferns
Hostas
Yuccas
Louise Breidel is a past Chair of the Master Gardeners Dakota County and has staffed Q&A booths at the State Fair and nurseries, led classes for community groups and assisted in U of M Regional Trials of shrub roses which released 'Sven,' 'Ole' and 'Lena'.
Schedule a tour of the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden this summer for your school, church group, hobby group or garden club, and learn about the over 30 research and display gardens and the history of UMore Park and the surrounding communities. Call (651) 480-7700 to schedule a personalized tour between the end of June and the end of September.
Master Gardeners of Dakota County wish to thank you for your enthusiastic support in 2011. We look forward to serving you, our community, through University of Minnesota-based horticultural education and research in 2012 and beyond.
Below is the calendar of events for 2012. This calendar will be updated throughout the season so be sure to check back frequently for changes.
Spring Garden Clean up Day
Master Gardeners will usher in spring with clean up day at the Master Gardener Educational and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount, Saturday, April 14 beginning at 8 am
Spring Plant Sale
Come and purchase Master Gardener-grown plants from home gardens and also varieties grown in our Master Gardener Educational and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount - Saturday, May 12 from 9 am to noon
Dakota Kids Junior Master Gardener Camp
[CLASS FULL] A summer camp program for budding gardeners in grades 4-6. Junior Master Gardeners meet Tuesday evenings from 6-8 pm from May 29 through August 28 at the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount.
Tuesday Evenings in the Garden classes
Our popular annual series of summer classes held in the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount, most Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8 pm, March through November in 2012.
Plan, Plant and Grow
Learn hands-on techniques for building, planting, growing and harvesting vegetables, and also seed saving, in this series of classes designed to help you successfully navigate the world of vegetables. Classes are held at the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount, Saturdays from 9:00 - 10:30 am on the following dates: June 9, July 14 and August 11
Plant Health Diagnostic Clinics
Bring in samples and your questions about plant health and care to the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount on selected Tuesdays from 6-8 pm. Clinic dates: June 12 and 26; July 10 and 24; August 7 and 16 (Thursday)
Tea and Crumpets in the Garden
Come visit the rose garden and enjoy some tea and crumpets with Master Gardeners while learning about the care and maintenance of roses. Experience this popular British tradition in your own backyard at the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount, Tuesday, June 19th from 6-8 pm
Farmers' Market
Bring in your gardening-related questions for Master Gardeners to your community Farmers' Market. Look for Master Gardeners of Dakota County throughout the summer and fall on Thursdays from 12-4 pm at Mary Mother of the Church on Cliff Road near Cedar Ave. (Hwy 77), in Burnsville
Docent Tours
Schedule a tour of the Master Gardener Education and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount this summer for your school, church group or garden club. Call (651) 480-7700 to schedule a personalized tour between the end of June and the end of September
Dakota County Fair
Visit Master Gardeners at the fair. Attend expos taught by Master Gardeners, tour our unique and creative children's garden and bring your gardening questions, August 6-12 at the Dakota County Fairgrounds in Farmington
Fall Garden Clean up Day
Master Gardeners will close the season with the fall clean up day at the Master Gardener Educational and Research Display Garden at UMore Park in Rosemount, Saturday, October 13 beginning at 8 am
Get a head start on growing your tomatoes in 2012 with these helpful hints.
To download the 10 tips from Kathy , please click on the link below.
Ten Tips Kathy's Growing Tomatoes.doc