Actually I think you are looking for a 'garden for pay' forum rather than a forum of home gardeners who create their own gardens for the love of it.
toni, You are too funny....... All I can say is.....Honey we need to get out and move that plant..before the tour......it's too big for where YOU put it.....LOL
I guess I am too late to this party. Just as well. I just take my plants, throw them up in the air & where they land is where they stay.
I volunteered at local college--weeding, planting, pruning, generally doing whatever needed doing. The gardens had been laid out (designed) by a local nurseryman who specialized in native plants. I learned a lot about natives, and I also learned that those who design gardens usually haven't cared for them. Plants got too big for their space; plants naturalized all over, causing chaos; native grasses welcomed weeds with open arms; and most of the beds were difficult to work in since everything was either overgrown or had thorns. Garden designers and landscape designers ought to have two years caring for a garden they have designed. It will be any eye-opening experience!
MG I bet you are right! Are you glad you to have had the experience you did? You said you learned a lot. I ask because I am about to retire & I am contemplating taking the master gardener certificate program. Mainly just for the fun of it. It is 1/2 day of class spring & fall & then volunteer gardening during the summer. What do you think?
Cayuga, all I can offer is my own experience with the Master Gardener program here in Texas. We are not Master Gardeners. I learned a lot by getting into the dirt, learning about plants, and reading up. The Master Gardener program to which we taught classes (native plants, plant propagation) was basically a garden club. They were more interested in getting free plants, having lunch, and taking trips than in gardening, teaching gardening, and having community outreach. I'd suggest sitting in on a few classes, see if it is a fit with what you want to do. If not, there may be other outlets for your talents. I am glad I did the volunteer work at the college, and I'm glad that I learned that designing a garden and having a garden are two totally different things!
A few years ago at a local thrift store I bought a Master Gardener book and notebook that had been used by a MG student in west Texas and while growing things out there is more difficult than here, I really didn't see anywhere near as much good information on how-to garden as I have learned by myself in my years of gardening and being on GardenStew. Plus the cost of the class is ridiculous. A few years ago I went to 4 classes at the local Jr. College taught by local Master Gardeners......one didn't know the botanical names of her plants (which means she should have tried harder) , one was too in awe of Japanese gardens and one did not know the common names of his plants much less the botanical. When asked all he could answer was I really do not know....not he didn't remember, he didn't know to begin with.
Toni, I share your pain! We were teaching a class on native plants and one of the Master Gardeners brought in a huge garbage bag to share the contents with the other gardeners. The contents were English Ivy. Let's all get something terribly invasive . . . . Then there was the other member who had weeds to share--the little poinsettia type weed Euphorbia of some sort) that takes over if you aren't diligent about eradicating it. It may be considered a "wild flower" but around here it's a weed!
Oh dear....this doesn't sound good. I actually do know a lot about gardening already. I certainly know my way around common & botanical names of all the plants I grow.What I was looking for were propagation tips for roses, azaleas, etc Organic pest control techniques, etc. MG, I like your idea of sitting in on a few classes first before making a commitment.
Cayuga, your county agricultural agent usually oversees the Master Gardener program. He/she should have a copy of the curriculum that you could look over to see how much time is devoted to what interests you. Frankly, I think you could teach a class rather than taking a class!
MG, thank you for your vote of confidence! I also like your idea of checking out the curriculum. I got this idea partly from my last year in college. My last semester I had electives to fulfill. I took Veg Crops 101 in the Ag school. (It met T, TH SATURDAY @8:00 AM!!!!) The"lab" consisted of working in the greenhouses. I loved it & really learned a lot about farming. I had been gardening since I was a little kid, but that course really piqued my interest.
