Dana Prom Smith, master gardener, writer, and editor of the Gardening Etcetera wrote this article for the Master Gardener Association. The association sponsored the fall newsletter for the Arboretum in 2011. If you are not a member you can view the newsletter on-line at www.thearb.org.
A Master Gardener might be a neighbor. Trained in horticulture specific to the Colorado Plateau, Master Gardeners are dedicated to promoting the pleasures of successful gardening in Flagstaff and Coconino County.
Sometimes thought difficult if not impossible, gardening in our area is a unique and rewarding experience if a person knows the most effective ways to garden. Master Gardeners want to share their knowledge and experience of those effective ways.
As a means of acquiring that knowledge and experience, classes are held through County Extension and the US Department of Agriculture by which people can become certified as Master Gardeners. Many of those who have been certified have organized themselves into the Coconino Master Gardener Association whose aim is to communicate the joys of successful gardening in the county. They meet on the second Thursday of each month with programs about successful gardening, participate in Flagstaff’s Community Markets and the Home Show, and provide a speaker’s bureau that is available for interested organizations. This year they were able to provide two small grants for community garden projects (Sunshine Rescue Mission and the YMCA).
Gardening in Flagstaff and Coconino County is an exciting and enriching experience if the gardening is accommodated to our climate, soil, weather, and vegetation. Master Gardening is a ready way to learn those accommodations. It is not hard if gardeners know what they are doing. Master Gardeners want to share that knowledge so that gardeners can be both successful and happy.
For more information contact the Coconino County Extension (http://www.extension.arizona.edu/coconino) or the Coconino Master Gardener Association (coconinomgassociation.blogspot.com).
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