Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens
The Master Gardener Program
Applications now being accepted for the 2009 Master Gardener Program
Congratulations to the Class of 2007 UConn Master Gardener Graduates!
Graduates received their certificates at a ceremony and luncheon at the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens on Sunday, November 4. This endeavor took eleven months to complete and included classroom hours, plant clinic work, and volunteer efforts in the community. Many worked at the Bartlett Arboretum or at the Cove Island IBA controlling invasive plants or designing and installing a butterfly garden. Some interacted with residents at Silver Hill Hospital while others taught gardening classes. All are to be congratulated for their hard work, dedication and achievement.
| 2007 UConn Master Gardener Graduates | ||||
| Mary Bopp | Greenwich | Ann Morris | Wilton | |
| Emeline Bravo-Blackwood | Bridgeport | Alice K. Osborn | Wilton | |
| Pam Carey | Bronxville | Cassen Pjura | Fairfield | |
| Dawn Carr | Stamford | Brian Prosser | Greenwich | |
| Patrick Conner | Stamford | Malavika Ranade | Ridgefield | |
| Carol Dell’Aquila | Stamford | Daniel Schiefferle | Stamford | |
| Daphne Dixon | Fairfield | Steve Shomstein | South Salem | |
| Nedra Gillette | Larchmont | Laura Sprengelmeyer | Larchmont | |
| Pamela Hale | Darien | Royal Stradinger | Stamford | |
| Henry Hull | Newtown | Earl Utter | Bridgeport | |
| Diane Hunt | Cos Cob | Addison VanNess | Cos Cob | |
| Joan Krieg | Darien | Paul Wicht | Stamford | |
| University of Connecticut Certified Hort Pro 2007 | ||||
| Erica Carroll | Mary Louise Santacaterina | |||
What is a Master Gardener?
Master Gardeners are members of 
your
local community who take an active interest in their lawns, trees,
shrubs, flowers, gardens, environment and community at large. They
are enthusiastic, willing to learn and share their knowledge and
training with others. What really sets them apart from other home
gardeners is their special horticultural training. The program is
conducted by the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension
System, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In exchange
for training, Master Gardeners commit time as volunteers working
to provide horticulture-related information to their community.
Sound Interesting? Read On!
Becoming a Connecticut Master Gardener
Qualifications...The qualifications to become
a Connecticut Master Gardener are simple. You must have an interest
in plants and gardening. You must also be able to attend the training
program and provide 60 hours of volunteer service. Most of all, you
must be willing to help others.
Training ...Classes are taught by horticulturists and University
of Connecticut Cooperative Extension educators and specialists. The
program offers 65 hours of classroom work and 60 hours of volunteer
service under the supervision of Master Gardener mentors. Subject matter
includes basic botany/plant physiology, plants and the environment,
soils, (IPM), lawns, woody ornamentals, vegetable gardening, small
fruit and tree fruit culture. The training is given each year from
January to April. Check with your local Cooperative Extension Center
for specific locations, dates and times.
Commitment...In exchange for training, participants are asked
to volunteer 60 hours in authorized outreach projects. Of this 60
hours, 30 must be served at the Plant Clinic which is held at the
Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens during the summer months. It provides
Master Gardener interns with an opportunity to answer questions and
to assist the community in garden-related topics. Master Gardeners
also speak to local groups, conduct workshops and help in creating
and establishing community garden plots. Others work with local school
groups, the disabled, the elderly, or as leaders of other community
service organizations.
Recognition ... Participants completing the classroom work,
passing the exam and fulfilling their volunteer service will receive
a certificate of recognition. Only those receiving this certificate
will be entitled to call themselves Extension Master Gardeners.
For More Information ... Application forms and further information
are available from the Master Gardener Coordinator at the Bartlett
Arboretum, at 203-322-6971, Ext. 18.
Life after Becoming a Connecticut Master Gardener
Once you receive your certificate of recognition, Master Gardeners continue
to share their knowledge and experience with others. Mentoring future classes
and projects, further educating the general public about gardening concerns
and issues are just a few of the ways Extension Master Gardeners continue to
participate in their communities.
"Master Gardener Volunteers"
Numerous Master Gardeners become "Master Gardener Volunteers" at
the Bartlett Arboretum to continue to learn, and to further support the gardens,
natural areas and collections used in the horticultural programs of the Arboretum.
Advanced Master Gardener Program
The Advanced Master Gardener program is available to further your skills and
knowledge. The program requires you to accrue 20 hours of class time, with
a volunteer commitment of two hours of outreach for every hour of class time
taken, to be accomplished over a 3-year period. A variety of class topics are
offered at various locations around the state throughout the year. For continued
support and activities, consider becoming a member of the Connecticut Master
Gardeners Association (CMGA). Further information on advanced classes or the
CMGA may be obtained by contacting the Master Gardener Coordinator at the Bartlett
Arboretum, at 203-322-6971, Ext. 18.
Master Gardener Program by Regina Campfield
The research library at the Arboretum is alive with the sounds of master gardeners
and interns diagnosing the problems of the world. Big task, you may think.
This is true, but the sights of the group are set squarely on solving the problems
of the plant world one specimen at a time. The Plant Clinic is open for business
and the Stamford public has responded by bringing in all manner of horticultural
questions and plant diseases. Master gardeners are available Monday through
Thursday from 10 until 2. Specimens can be delivered during those times as
well as at any time the Arboretum offices are open. Master gardeners use the
training that the program has provided, the expertise of lifetimes of gardening
experience, as well as the resources housed in the research library. In addition
to these, the experts and scientists at UConn are available to aid in the diagnosis
of diseases, identification of specimens and to offer recommendations for treatment
as necessary.
The Clinic is the visible and practical application of the UConn Master Gardener
Program. Through this state-wide program, interns are trained in many aspects
of horticulture and are motivated to use their knowledge and training to serve
the gardening public. The Bartlett Arboretum has joined with UConn to bring
the Master Gardener Program to the Stamford area and has offered to host the
class of 2004 as well as that of 2005. This year, 28 interns entered the classroom
for training in March; that portion of the program is complete. The interns
are currently working in the field participating in gardening outreach projects
and serving in the Plant Clinic. Sixty hours of volunteer service time are
required from each individual. Half that time is allocated to helping the public
in the Plant Clinic and the other half is dedicated to community projects.
Once all projects and work have been completed and the Plant Clinic closes
for the season, students will look forward to graduation day 1n November.
At that time, interns will become Certified Master Gardeners and join the ranks
of the hundreds of master gardeners in the State of Connecticut and thousands
in the nation. Master gardeners belong to a larger community of gardeners interested
in continuing horticultural education for personal enrichment and to share
this with the community. The group is dedicated to educating the public on
good gardening practices and community volunteering to make this ideal a reality.
UConn Master Gardeners at the Bartlett Offer Soil Testing
If you have plans for renovating or constructing a lawn, putting in a new vegetable or flower garden, or just were not happy with your plants' performance this year, University specialists recommend soil testing. For a nominal fee, the UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab will test soils for pH, nutrients, limestone and make fertilizer recommendations. To find out how to get your soil tested, call the Master Gardeners at the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford at 203-322-6971.