Master Gardener Volunteers

Visit the WI Master Gardener Program, Division of Extension at https://wi mastergardener.org/

GLACIAL GARDENERS

The Glacial Gardeners was started by the graduates of the first training program offered by Florence County UW-Extension in 1997. Current membership includes 21 gardeners from Florence and Marinette Counties of Wisconsin, and Dickinson, Iron & Menominee Counties of Michigan.

A wide variety of volunteer opportunities and projects are available to members:

Diagnosing plant problems
Educational exhibits during local events
Educational workshops at the Crossroads Community Garden
Wreath Workshop
Member Only Plant Auction (second Monday in September)
Spring and Fall plant sales (Annual Spring Plant Sale – Florence County Fairgrounds)

Monthly meeting and programs are held on the second Monday of the month in the lower-level conference room of the Florence Natural Resource Center at 5:00 PM. Master Gardeners from other states or those with lapsed certification are welcome. Annual membership dues are $15 per person. For more information on how to join the Glacial Gardeners, contact via email at glacial.gardeners@gmail.com or stop into the Extension Florence County office located at 5628 Forestry Drive, Florence, WI 54121.

Left to right: Glacial Gardeners Officers: Sharon Chick, Vice President – Nancy Hill, President – Mary Bibby, Secretary/Treasurer

Thank you to all who attended the 2024 Annual Plant Sale and made it a huge success!

Mark your calendars for next year – It is always the last Saturday of May. See you there!

GLACIAL GARDENERS AWARD SCHOLARSHIP- 2024

The Glacial Gardeners are pleased to announce: On Monday, August 14th, they awarded the $1,100 Hazel (DeGayner) Dault Memorial Scholarship to Isabella Millan of Florence, WI. She will be entering her first year at the University of Wisconsin in Madison majoring in Environmental Engineering.

The family of Hazel Dault provided a generous $1100 donation towards scholarships this year in memory of Hazel Dault who was a longtime supporter and friend to the Glacial Gardeners.

This scholarship is open to students who reside in Iron or Dickinson Counties in Michigan and Florence or Marinette Counties in Wisconsin. The scholarships are awarded annually to beginning and returning students who are majoring in agricultural and applied economics, agricultural education, agronomy, botany, entomology, environmental sciences or engineering, forestry, horticulture, landscape architecture, plant pathology, soil science or wildlife ecology. The Glacial Gardeners appreciate the many community members who attend and support the annual Saturday before Memorial Day plant sale at the Florence County Fairgrounds. Proceeds from this very popular plant sale help fund the Inga Fleming Memorial Scholarship program that has now awarded $32,000 to area students. There were no qualifying applications for the Inga Fleming Memorial Scholarship this year.

The Glacial Gardeners would like to thank the volunteers who helped with the plant sale and the following businesses and organizations who donated money, materials or advertising: Spread Eagle Garden Center, Stephenson Marketing Cooperative-Aurora WI, DMN Greenhouse, Flowerland Greenhouse, Florence County Fair Board (Jessica Klump), Florence County Economic Development (Eric Printz), Pat’s Foods, and Wal-Mart.

Glacial Gardeners are involved in many projects in local communities and with schools. The popular plant sale that takes place the last Saturday in May helps generate funds for these scholarships and other projects. New members, interested in gardening at home as well as within the community, are always welcome.

Pictured on the left: Scholarship Co-Chairs-Marian Johnson, Vanessa McLain with recipient Isabella Millan.
Pictured on the right (from left to right) 1st Row seated: Nancy Hill-President, Isabella Millan, Sharon Chick-Vice President. Back row: Misty Vassar, Judy Carncross, Jean Gardener, Vanessa McLain, Lori Strang, Holly Wissing, Lois Ann Johnson, Marian Johnson. Not pictured- Treas/Sec Mary Bibby, Diane Brandt, Keri Buffinton, Katy Coppock, Wendy Gehlhoff, Arlene Jensen, Cindy Nault, Rosie Peters, Ann Sokop, and Mary Stolze.

For more information, send an email to glacial.gardeners@gmail.com.

Master Gardener Volunteer Training Marinette, Oconto and Florence Counties

The Master Gardener program is all about building your gardening skills and providing opportunities for volunteering in the local community. As a member of the class you will learn how to find answers to gardening questions through the use of research-based material from the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension. On completion of the classroom sessions (36 hours), there will then be 24 hours of volunteer time put in at one or more of the approved projects in the area. For information on the Wisconsin Master Gardener program, go visit the state website Wisconsin State Master Gardener Program

For more information about the Master Gardener Training or the local association (Glacial Gardeners Master Gardener Association), e-mail Office Manager Jane Lindow (jane.lindow@wisc.edu).

Topics covered in Master Gardener Training include:

Plant Biology & Morphology
Soils & Soil Health
Woody Landscape Plants
Fruit Crops
Composting
Herbs
Lawn Care
Plant Propagation
Backyard Wildlife
Perennials and Annuals
Vegetables
Using Native Plants
Weed Management & Invasive Plants
Entomology
Plant Diseases

To complete an annual re-certification, 24 hours of volunteer time is needed plus 10 hours of continuing horticulture education.

The possibilities for volunteering are limited only by your own ideas and time. Whether you like working most with people or with plants, there are activities that you can do to fulfill the volunteer hours requirement.