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Gardeners do their part to serve the community
By Ben Holman
Nevada Daily Mail
Anyone who visits the Vernon County Courthouse very often has probably noticed the updated landscaping around the veterans memorial on the northeast corner of the courthouse grounds. Last Friday, Beverly Lyons, Kay Brooke and Pat Miller got together to plant decorative grasses and other perennials that were donated by Brooke.
"I've always thought that more honor was due to the veterans than just having this plain," said Miller.
The three are all a part of the University of Missouri Extension Master Gardener program. The program, which began in St. Louis in 1983 as a partnership between the University of Missouri and the Missouri Botanical Gardens, exists to provide gardeners with training, access to other knowledgeable gardeners and to encourage community service -- in 2003, Master Gardeners volunteered around 72,000 hours of service to Missouri communities.
The local Master Gardener group consists of people from Vernon County as well as several neighboring counties. According to Pat Miller, Master Gardener program coordinator, the local group was formed just this year after the spring master gardener class. Fourteen new gardeners completed the class and, since they came from more than just Vernon County, they decided to call themselves the "Four Seasons Master Gardeners."
In return for training received through the program, master gardeners are expected to give 30 hours of community service in their first year and 20 hours in every following year. The services vary between landscaping for community projects, teaching classes and acting as a resource for area gardeners.
The local group has done the landscaping for the last two Habitat for Humanity houses that were built in Vernon County, have taught classes, most recently on shade gardening and water gardening, and various other projects beneficial to the community. The local group is also planning on doing the landscaping at the Bushwhacker Jail.
Apart from training and community service opportunities, Master Gardeners are able to interact with other people who are as dedicated to gardening as they are. "When you're passionate about something, as we are about gardening, its just wonderful to get around a group of people with a like passion. It is just amazing to sit down next to someone you don't know and start talking like you're old friends," said Brooke.
According to Miller, the program works well because everyone has their own specialty, "Each person has a niche that they have as their favorite part of gardening," she said. That gives her the chance to refer questions to the specific person who is best suited to answer that question. "Steve knows about water gardening, Ginny's good with roses, and Kay knows just about everything," said Miller.
For more information about the Master Gardener program contact the Vernon County Extension Office at (417) 448-2560.