2012 Master Gardener College
Registration is now open for the 2012 Master Gardener College! This year, the Master Gardener College takes us back to our roots, as we return to the beautiful MSU campus, in East Lansing on June 8th and 9th. To open a detailed registration brochure highlighting this year’s tours, speakers, workshops, and research panel, click here. Master Gardener Volunteers can earn up to 18 hours of educational credit for attending the 2012 MG College.
The planning committee has put together a wide selection of informative tours and workshops, more than 20 vendors, and ala carte registration – all based on feedback from Master Gardener Volunteers from around the state! Come prepared to learn through lectures, hands-on-workshops, and garden tours. Be inspired by viewing Master Gardener Volunteer projects, exchange ideas with Master Gardener Volunteers from around the state, and buy garden-related products at the Green Marketplace and Master Gardener Shopping Mall.
Discounted pricing is available for active Master Gardener volunteers and volunteers in training. If you qualify for this discounted rate, you should have received an email from the Master Gardener Program with a promo code. To receive this discounted rate, use the promo code found in that email and register here.
(Verified through the online recordkeeping system 4/15/2012)
Now, a little more about the conference…
This event will provide a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the rich and diverse gardens that Michigan State University has to offer. west Michigan horticultural industry. From the heart of one of Michigan’s best fruit regions to high-tech greenhouses to the country’s leading woody ornamental and perennial nurseries, you’ll have the rare opportunity to see it all. Plus, you’ll be able to participate in more than 20 educational seminars and a BBQ Dinner!!
Pick from one of the following full day tours on Friday:
• Nuts and Bolts - Nutty Ideas and New Plants!
• Wildflowers, Orchids, and Gardens…Oh My!
• Tough Cookies: Sustainable Landscapes
• I’ve Got A Gal…Lardia in Kalamazoo
Or from the following campus tours/workshops:
• Baker Woodlot
• W.J. Beal Botanical Garden
• Building Bee Boxes to Help Pollinators in Your Garden
• Building a Bamboo Trellis – Take Your Garden Vertical!
On Friday evening, the tours conclude with a BBQ Dinner at the Crop and Soil Sciences Teaching & Research Field Facility, also known as the Agronomy Farm. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to network with your fellow Master Gardener Volunteers. You will also have the opportunity to participate in the silent auction, and support the launch of the NEW State Master Gardener Association by bidding on garden art, cool new plants, and gadgets of all kinds.
On Saturday, join Jim Chatfield and look at the “Pervasiveness of Invasiveness and the role of Master Gardeners.” This pervasiveness of invasiveness is a critical biological issue for everyone - as anyone who deals with kudzu and hogweed, emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetles, Dutch elm disease and thousand cankers disease, zebra mussels and starlings knows. Jim will discuss how the learning curve for putting into perspective invasive species is key to Master Gardener training and impacts everything from first detector training to proper plant selection practices. It’s a presentation you won’t want to miss!
Additional great sessions on Saturday feature:
• Is Your Landscape Firewise?
• Practical Botany for Gardeners
• The Living Soil!
• Go Nuts (and make a Profit!)
• Stomping Out Invasive Species
• Spruce Up Your Trees: Diagnosing Spruce Diseases
• Habitattitude: Aquatic Nuisance Pests
• Responsible Gardening to Protect the Environment
• Incorporating Rain Gardens Into Home Landscapes
• Uninvited Garden Guests: What’s Eating Your Plants and Why
• “Greening” Your Garden
• Making Your Vine Crops Divine
• Market Intelligence: How to Turn Your Vegetable Garden into a Business Venture
• Good to the Last Drop: Installing and Utilizing Drip Irrigation
• Making the Most of Your Nooks and Crannies Through Intensive Gardening
• Trees Matter: How Trees Pay Us Back
• New Annuals Every Gardener Should Have
• Unusual Fruit for Michigan
If you can’t attend but want to support the Master Gardener Volunteer Program, and our great educational opportunities, click here.
