Saturday Gardening Series 2016 

The Master Gardeners of Summit County cordially invite you to the 2016 edition of the Saturday Gardening Series.

February 27th is SOLD OUT! 

With two full days of informative gardening presentations, the Saturday Gardening Series is a sure harbinger of Spring.

 

Register Now! 

 February 27th Presentations

  Mary Beth Breckenridge  has been with the Akron Beacon Journal since 1987 and has been the newspaper's home and garden writer since 1996.  In more than three decades in journalism, she has worked in a wide variety of reporting and editing jobs, including covering the first bribery and corruption trial of then-Mahoning County Sheriff, Jim Traficant.  She has won national awards for feature writing and for informational and humorous column writing from the National Association of Real Estate Editors, the National Federation of Press Women and the American Home Furnishings Alliance.  She is a graduate of Miami University and a Master Gardener Volunteer in Summit County.  

Mary Beth will speak to us on Small Space Gardening.  She will cover strategies for maximizing garden space to make it more beautiful or productive while cutting down on work and the use of water, fertilzer and other additives.    

   Laura Deeter received her PhD in horiculture from the Ohio State University after studying road-salt tolerance in herbaceous perennials under Dr. Steve Still.  She is a Full Professor of Horticulture at the Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, OH, teaching a multitude of horticulture classes, including Woody and Herbaceous Plant Indentification, Landscape Design, Sustainable Landscaping, Plant Health Management and Landscape Construction, to name a few.  She was awarded the ATI Distinguished Teaching Award twice as well as the OSU Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Perennial Plant Association Teaching Award, the American Horticulture Society Teaching Award, and the Perennial Plant Association Service Award.  She travels extensively around the country speaking on a a variety of topics ranging from taxonomy and nomenclature, to shade gardens, design, color, and specialty gardens and plants.  At home she gardens on her tenth of an acre with her hubby, two kids, three dogs and 100 pink flamingos, and counts her 300+ species of perennials as dear friends.

Laura will share Maintenance Tips and Tricks for Perennials.  She will share strategies for keeping our perennials in tip-top shape during their various growth phases and throughout the season.     

 

 Jacqueline Kowalski is the Ohio State University Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator for Summit County.  She works primarily in urban agriculture and small farm systems.  Before joining the Summit County office, she held the same position in Cuyahoga County. Jacqueline has a small urban farm in Cleveland and continues to explore niche crops for the marketplace.  

Jacqueline will inspire us to try new things in the garden with Beyond Kale - Specialty Greens and Lettuces for Your Garden.  

  Jeanne Poremski, Master Gardener Volunteer.  After designing and maintaining gardens in two states, Jeanne is finally cleaning up her truck for sale.  Though she will no longer be planting and pruning for others, she will keep her hand in by coaching and writing, continuing participation in professional organizations and radio, and recommitting to her volunteer work for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Western Pennsylvania Botanical Society, and with Stark and Summit Master Gardeners.  That means she is really doubling down on her gardening because she will also get back to working and playing in her own home space that she has been missing for a few years.  The next chapter is beginning......

Jeanne's presentation New Plants for 2016: Thumbs Up - Thumbs Down will help us take an honest look at the new plant releases to determine what we will add to our wish list for the season.  

 March 5th Presentations

 

  Jan Becker and her husband Rick owned Becker Greenhouse and Herb Farm for 30 years until they retired the public portion of the business.  Jan and Rick still do custom growing and special events.  Jan is a graduate of the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute.  She also attended the Culinary Arts program at the University of Akron.  Jan has been a Master Gardener Volunteer for 20 years and is an active member of Summit County Farm Bureau and a trustee for the Summit County Beekeepers Association.  At home, you can usually find her working in their sizeable fruit and vegetable garden.   

Jan will present on Growing Fruit in Your Backyard.  She will focus on the benefits of adding fruit to your landscape as well as vital information on site selection, variety selection and proper pruning techniques.  

  Judy Semroc works in the Natural Areas Division for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as a Conservation Specialist.  She is the founder of Operation Botanic Rescue (a volunteer plant rescue group), Quail Hollow Land Conservancy and Chrysalis in Time, the first Ohio chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA).  Recently Judy was the recipeint of the "2013 Outstanding Staff Achievement Award" for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and in 2011, Judy was awarded the Portage County "Environmental Hero Award".  Along with Larry Rosche and Linda Gilbert, Judy co-authored the popular field guide Dragonflies & Damselflies of Northeast Ohio in 2008.  As a former Petroleum Geologist and science teacher, Judy loves to learn about and share her passion for the natual world through hikes, interpretive programs and photography.

Judy will speak about The Fascinating World of Insect & Plant Interactions.  She will illustrate interesting connections between the two, talk about the importance of diversity for survival, and present ideas to help gardeners and nature lovers enhance their properties to attract more beneficial insects.  

 

 

Register Now!