Demo Garden Grand Opening

Rock Garden in Demo Garden

The Chilton County Master Gardeners Association’s newly designed Demonstration Garden will have its Grand Opening on August 6, 2016 at 11:30 at the Chilton Research and Extension Center off of Highway 29.

Afterwards the Farm, Home and Wildlife EXPO will start with free tastes of fruit, ice creams, peach salsa and other culinary delights. Many presentations are offered for home and farm, along with exhibits for all ages.
Everyone is invited to attend!

(Photos by Sondra Henley)

 


 

 

 

Demo Garden Phase I, II, and III almost complete!

 

Knot Garden in Demo Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Demo Garden redesign continues to be a work in progress, but is right  on schedule as far as Phase I, II, and III are concerned. The Grand Opening is scheduled for August 6, 2016, the day of the EXPO at Chilton Research and Extension Center. The public is invited to attend.Watch for upcoming information.

Demonstration Garden

New sign
New sign for redesigned Demo Garden

 

The Demo Garden is open year round and is located at the Chilton Research and Extension Center on Highway 29 in Clanton.  The garden’s main event is the Farm, Home and Wildlife  Expo held the first Saturday in August.  Master Gardeners strive to maintain its beauty and variety of plants all year. Currently the Demonstration Garden is undergoing a major redesign, led by V.P. Sondra Henley. Check out the calendar for scheduled days for volunteer opportunities. Your help is always welcome!

 

 

Installing Irrigation In Demo Garden

On Saturday, February 5th, Alabama Landscape Creations of Jemison, AL, arrived at the newly redesigned Demonstration Garden located at the Chilton Research and Extension Center,  which is managed by the Chilton County Master Gardeners. Jacob Boozer and Bill Lovelace with Alabama Landscape Creations met with the CCMGA members to install an irrigation system.

Alabama Landscape Creations has over 14 years of experience offering a full service landscape business, specializing in natural stone work, paver patios and walkways, landscaping, outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, and aquatic gardens. Jake Beardon, owner of Alabama Landscape Creations, has not only served his customers well, but has given back to the community by  donating the irrigation system, several large boulders, and a lava rock to the Chilton County Master Gardener Association.

Alabama Landscape Creations donates irrigation

Demo Garden Selected As Eagle Scout Project

Sondra Henley, Demo Garden Project Manager, discusses Phase 3 of the Demo Garden Redesign with Eagle Scout Clay Vinson. Clay has selected Phase 3 of the Demo Garden as his Eagle Scout Project, which will include the Pergola and the perimeter butterfly bed designed by Harriett Jackson. Development will begin in February after the irrigation lines are laid.

EAGLE SCOUT

 

Demo Garden Update

By Sondra Henley

This past week Ann Moore and Julie Soileau lined the tool shed flower bed at the Demo Garden with rocks. With this improvement the shape of  of the bed is much better defined.

Paula Blevins Russell, Don Burdette, Diane Clapp, Alice Broome, Harriett Jackson and not pictured, Sondra Henley planted 32 hollies at the Demo Garden. This  planting completes the four corner circles of the new Demonstration Garden.

  

Gathering Stones

By Sondra Henley

Several Chilton County Master Gardeners met at Rick Miller’s Lake Mitchell home to gather rocks for the rock garden that he is developing at the Demo Garden. Members that helped were left to right: Lee and Wally Walters, Don Burdette, Bill Hairrell, Jimmy and Mildred Knowles, Rick Miller, Sarah Saunders, Michelle Thomas, Linda Hays, Diane Clapp, Harriett Jackson, and not pictured, Sondra Henley. They toured Rick’s greenhouse and were given some of the Ponderosa lemons that he grows. He also shared his shop project; a full size electric boat. Members were treated to a Chili/Hot dog lunch with all the trimmings. Lee and Wally Walters gave members a boat ride and tour of their lakeside property. The relaxed setting gave all that attended a great time of fellowship. The delivery date and building of the rock terrace at the Demo Garden will be announced later.

 

Redesigning The Demo Garden

Redesigning the Demo Garden

IMG_2398

Progress is being made! Walls are going up! CCMGA members helped transport donated stones to the Demo Garden at CREC on Monday July 8th. This material will be incorporated into the new garden design as garden edging, path edging capstones and flooring for the shade garden.  Master Gardeners who helped were: Lanell Baker, Lee Walters, Ira Jones, Steve McAnally, Harriett Jackson, Jerry Farmer and Sondra Henley. Spouses of Master Gardeners that helped were Treasia Bennett’s husband, Dennis and Sondra Henley’s husband, Gary.  Gary saved us many trips by bringing his company’s 20 foot box truck with a pallet jack.  All materials were transported and stacked by 10:00 a.m. The next week Dennis Bennett was in charge of the digging and pouring the cement for footings for the quadrant walls and now the walls are going up!  Click here for a an updated slideshow of the progress being made.

 

A “One-Of-A-Kind” Arbor

One-of-a-Kind Arbor
One-of-a-Kind Arbor

By Sondra Henley

A “One of a Kind Arbor” is being constructed at the Chilton County Master Gardener Association’s Demonstration Garden located on the Chilton Research and Extension Center site. The arbor sides are 2 ft. wide and it is about 8 ft. tall. We plan to cover the rebar and chicken wire structure with as many rusty farm and garden tools as we possibly can.

If you would like to donate your rusty discarded tools to be included on the arbor, items are being accepted at two locations:

The Chilton County Extension Office located at 504 1st Ave, Clanton, Alabama

The Chilton Research and Extension Center located off of Highway 29. Place items in the garbage can located on the carport of little red brick house. The can is marked “GARDEN ITEMS”.

 Please do not donate anything that you want returned.

A Master Gardener’s Vision

 

Chilton County Master Gardener Sondra Henley had a vision for a new Demonstration Garden. So she formed a committee, set the wheels to rolling, and started making changes. It’s now well under way and going to be something that the Demo Garden Committee, workers, and all Master Gardeners can be proud of! She has it planned well with it being completed in 4 phases. The 1st phase is almost done. Much of the material is being donated and the committee has applied for and gotten 2 grants. It will truly be a teaching garden with the capability of an outdoor classroom. It will also have a shade garden, a water feature, a pergola, and the last phase, a working green house.  Volunteer work days are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings with some evenings in the hottest months. Dates and times are listed on the Event Calendar.