MONROE - There may be snow drifts a mile high outside, but thoughts of a lovely garden will be blossoming around town in short order.
The South Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners Association is sponsoring the "Gardening Inspirations for All Seasons" gardening symposium March 8 at Ludlow Mansion, 1421 Mansion Drive in Monroe. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and ends with door prizes at 3 p.m. A noon lunch is included.
The symposium is specifically geared to "get the creative juices going," said Linda Batty, a member of the Master Gardeners group and one of the event's organizers. Sessions will introduce participants to the basics of perennial, vegetable and herb gardening, as well as drying flowers for crafts.
The day will also serve to "education and inspire people to become Master Gardeners," added Susan Konopacki, another Master Gardener helping the March 8 event.
The South Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners group formed in 2004. Its purpose is to share horticultural information and expertise in gardening with others, they said.
"Our purpose in life is to educate," Batty said.
The Masters Gardeners meet once a month from February to October. While earning the title "Master Gardener" requires specific training, anyone can join the group and participate in its training, tours and other events without being a certified Master Gardener, Batty said.
The day-long event is a first for the local group.
"It's the first time we've done it, but we hope it will become an annual event," said Konopacki.
Speakers will be:
• Welcome by Mike Davis, president, South Central Wisconsin Master Gardener
• "Perennials for Flower, Form and Function," by Mark Dwyer, Rotary Gardens, Janesville.
Dwyer has been the Director of Horticulture at Rotary Gardens in Janesville for 10 years. He has a background in landscape architecture and urban forestry, but said his true passion is growing and observing all types of plants and experimenting with plant combinations. He will explain using and blending different materials in the garden landscape.
• "Gardening with Vegetables" by Dr. Jim Nienhuis, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nienhuis will share the science behind successful vegetable gardening. Nienhuis is with the Department of Horticulture at the UW.
• "Enjoying Your Garden All Year Long - Drying Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables" by Sheryl Pitts Wolff, Hulbert Hollow Farm, Winslow, Ill.
Wolff will explain drying and using flowers, herbs and vegetables. The talk will include choosing and sowing seeds and plants; drying techniques; arranging dried materials; other uses for dried products; and weeds, field and ditch plants for drying. Wolff and her husband Mark Keister own and operate Hulbert Hollow Farm where they grow four acres of flowers, herbs and produce for drying. They create and sell dried arrangements, gourds, flowers and other items from nature, as well as host classes and small groups.
• "All About Herbs" by Nancy Momsen, Nancy's Meadow Herbs, Monroe.
Momsen is an herb educator, holding monthly workshops in aromatherapy, garden design, cooking with herbs and herb blending. She recently retired from Nancy's Meadow Herbs and now serves as a consultant to the farm, which supplies herbs to garden centers.
The symposium is open to the public, but pre-registration is encouraged. The cost, which includes refreshments, lunch by Peppercorn Banquets and resource materials, is $25 before Feb. 22 and $35 after Feb. 23.
To register, call the Green County UW Extension office at 328-9440. Registration forms can also be downloaded at www.green.uwex.edu.
The South Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners Association is sponsoring the "Gardening Inspirations for All Seasons" gardening symposium March 8 at Ludlow Mansion, 1421 Mansion Drive in Monroe. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and ends with door prizes at 3 p.m. A noon lunch is included.
The symposium is specifically geared to "get the creative juices going," said Linda Batty, a member of the Master Gardeners group and one of the event's organizers. Sessions will introduce participants to the basics of perennial, vegetable and herb gardening, as well as drying flowers for crafts.
The day will also serve to "education and inspire people to become Master Gardeners," added Susan Konopacki, another Master Gardener helping the March 8 event.
The South Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners group formed in 2004. Its purpose is to share horticultural information and expertise in gardening with others, they said.
"Our purpose in life is to educate," Batty said.
The Masters Gardeners meet once a month from February to October. While earning the title "Master Gardener" requires specific training, anyone can join the group and participate in its training, tours and other events without being a certified Master Gardener, Batty said.
The day-long event is a first for the local group.
"It's the first time we've done it, but we hope it will become an annual event," said Konopacki.
Speakers will be:
• Welcome by Mike Davis, president, South Central Wisconsin Master Gardener
• "Perennials for Flower, Form and Function," by Mark Dwyer, Rotary Gardens, Janesville.
Dwyer has been the Director of Horticulture at Rotary Gardens in Janesville for 10 years. He has a background in landscape architecture and urban forestry, but said his true passion is growing and observing all types of plants and experimenting with plant combinations. He will explain using and blending different materials in the garden landscape.
• "Gardening with Vegetables" by Dr. Jim Nienhuis, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nienhuis will share the science behind successful vegetable gardening. Nienhuis is with the Department of Horticulture at the UW.
• "Enjoying Your Garden All Year Long - Drying Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables" by Sheryl Pitts Wolff, Hulbert Hollow Farm, Winslow, Ill.
Wolff will explain drying and using flowers, herbs and vegetables. The talk will include choosing and sowing seeds and plants; drying techniques; arranging dried materials; other uses for dried products; and weeds, field and ditch plants for drying. Wolff and her husband Mark Keister own and operate Hulbert Hollow Farm where they grow four acres of flowers, herbs and produce for drying. They create and sell dried arrangements, gourds, flowers and other items from nature, as well as host classes and small groups.
• "All About Herbs" by Nancy Momsen, Nancy's Meadow Herbs, Monroe.
Momsen is an herb educator, holding monthly workshops in aromatherapy, garden design, cooking with herbs and herb blending. She recently retired from Nancy's Meadow Herbs and now serves as a consultant to the farm, which supplies herbs to garden centers.
The symposium is open to the public, but pre-registration is encouraged. The cost, which includes refreshments, lunch by Peppercorn Banquets and resource materials, is $25 before Feb. 22 and $35 after Feb. 23.
To register, call the Green County UW Extension office at 328-9440. Registration forms can also be downloaded at www.green.uwex.edu.