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Chilton County Master Gardeners held their 3rd annual Christmas Home Tour this year on December 13th. The homes featured were Walter & Sandra Graham, Randy & Gina Lecroy, Nina McCormick, Curt & Charlotte Rowland, and Jo & Pam Teel. Everyone enjoyed touring the homes, which were all in downtown Clanton. This was our best year yet! Many people waited till the last week to get their tickets, probably because the weather has been so unpredictable. If you missed it this year, you missed a great time! Click HERE for a slideshow of photos of the tour.
News
December Christmas Luncheon
Chilton County Master Gardeners enjoyed a colorful, bountiful Christmas Luncheon for the month of December. Many members helped with the food and preparation. Christmas Home Tour homeowners Nina McCormick, Sandra Graham, and Curt Rowland were our guests, as were Jim Pitts and the employees of the Chilton Research and Extension Center; and Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed and the city employees. Click HERE for a slideshow of photos from the meeting.
CREC Thank You Supper
The Chilton Research and Extension Center hosted their annual “THANK YOU SUPPER” on October 29th for all the Master Gardeners that helped with the Farm, Home, and Wildlife Expo this year. This includes Chilton, Elmore, Autauga, & Jefferson Master Gardeners. Jim and Deb Pitts always serve a great fall meal of Brunswick stew, cornbread, drinks, and cookies and cakes and it is delicious. Jim also has his fire going in the fire pit because it’s usually a little cool. This year, he had a really big surprise for all of us, a Jerry Clower impersonator and he was fantastic!! Thanks, Jim and Deb, for a great evening full of great food and entertainment. It’s gonna be hard to top this one next year! Click here for a Smilebox slideshow of the evening.
We’re Official!!
This summer has been a busy time for our interns and they are almost 100 % certified! Robert Lee Watley was the first of our interns to earn his membership badge and get certified. In July we had Michele Thomas, Ira Jones, Katie Moon, Karen Giles, Jerry Giles, & Don Burdette receiving their badges. In September, we had Anne Moore, Willie Valentine, Kimberly Lynn, and Janis Wilson receive theirs. They have been very active in helping with the redesign of the demonstration garden, helping with preparing for the Fall Seminar, attending meetings, and working the Help Line. We are proud of all our new members!
2015 Master Gardener Class
Our 2015 Master Gardener class is well under way. We have had soil samples turned in, intern shirts ordered and distributed, friends made, Demo Garden slideshow shown, a great composting class, AND lots of scrumptious food! This could be one of our best classes yet! Click HERE for a slideshow of photos.
Meet Don Burdette
Don was in the 2015 MG Class and he recently received his Master Gardener certification. He has been a big help in developing the new CCMGA Demonstration Garden.
After 17 years at the Alabama Forestry Commission and 18 years at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, he retired as the State Parks Forester in 2014.
He lives in the Verbena countryside on 80 acres of family woodland and pastures. One of his favorite places is a stand of scattered mature oak and hickory trees on the top of a hill. He says he can always find a breeze and a pleasant 360 degree view of the property from there. He has plans to build a house and workshop near that location.
Don has had a love of gardening most of his adult life. His mother has been a great influence on him by the way she makes her home and landscape welcoming. He says he also paid attention to other private and public landscapes and incorporated some of those ideas into his own space. He especially likes to experiment with new ideas and improve on old ones to make the landscape flow in connection with a home, other structures and the terrain.
Don moved around a lot in his career, pursuing promotions, and has always tried to improve the landscape at every residence. He created a couple of vegetable gardens that incorporated raised beds and companion flowers. One of his fondest memories was going into the vegetable garden early in the morning with his two young daughters. There they feasted on fresh silver queen corn and okra right off the stalk for breakfast.
The best work anyone can find is something they love to do. Don loved the forestry, wildlife management and outdoor recreation projects he “had to do.” This included travel to and within state parks, other state-owned forest lands, Forever Wild tracts and private lands; as well as brief fire campaign assignments to National Forests, Parks and an Apache Reservation out West. Since his retirement, he likes occasional day trips to change his routine and scenery. You might spot him at a restaurant, movie theater, attraction or special event. He would like to add new hobbies that would improve physical fitness: square dancing, fossil hunting, woodworking and carving or perhaps return to making reproductions of Alabama artifacts.
I have always wondered at his knowledge of rocks in the Chilton area and now I know why he has this information. He used to visit the Alabama Department of Archives and History and other museums around the state to study interesting and attractive Indian artifacts. Then he would use state geologic maps to find original flint, soapstone and greenstone to reproduce stone arrowheads, bowls, pipes and axes. He would then sell pieces through Moundville Archeological Park, Fort Toulouse, the State Capitol gift shop and the Porch Band of the Creek Indians.
Don’s favorite words to live by are: Trust in God, Love your Family and Treat Everyone with Respect.
When asked, “What is your favorite thing about CCMGA? Don replied, “I love the fellowship of being around good people who are interested in at least one thing that I enjoy: landscaping and gardening. “
By Sondra Henley
1st Certified Member Of 2015 MG Class
Our first provisional member of the 2015 Master Gardener Class to be certified was Robert Lee Whatley. Regional Extension Agent Nelson Wynn and Membership Chairman Trisha Williams awarded his badge and certificate to him at the June meeting. Congratulations, Robert, and WELCOME!
May Plant Swap
The Chilton County Master Gardeners met this month at the Lake Mitchell Pavilion for their annual Plant Swap. Rick Miller presented the program on tool sharpening. He not only demonstrated this fine art that he learned as a Boy Scout, he also sharpened many tools brought by members. As usual, there was lots of good food and everyone that brought a nice plant was able to participate in the plant swap. There were also plants to share. Click HERE to see slideshow of photos.
Spring Beauties
Spring is my favorite time of year because of all the native wild flowers that are blooming. I love to walk in the woods and see how many I can identify. There are many online sites that sell wildflowers if you would like to try growing a few. It seems there are many different varieties available for spring shade gardens; not so for summer and fall sun gardens. The most well known for summer and fall is Black-eyed Susan and butterfly weed. Here are some of my spring-blooming flowers, shrubs, and trees.
Meet Pat and Jerry Farmer
Pat Farmer is the newly elected President of Chilton County Master Gardener Association for 2015. CCMGA appreciates Pat for stepping up to fill the President’s position. So let’s get to know Pat and Jerry…..
Pat and Jerry Farmer have been married for 30+ years, have a blended family of 4 children plus lots of grandchildren and share a love of gardening and Master Gardeners.
Both Pat and Jerry have been valuable additions to CCMGA since 2010. Not ones to sit around, they chaired and co-chaired the CCMGA Demonstration Garden in 2011, after helping with it the year before under Audrey and Lamar Giles’ leadership. Jerry co-chaired the Demo Garden in 2013-14 with Alan Reed. Pat held the office of Secretary in 2011-12 and then Vice President in 2013-14. She also chaired the Helpline Committee in 2014. Pat retired from a management position with a magazine distributing company and brings lots of experience to her new position as President.
Growing up, Jerry helped with his father’s vegetable garden and his mother’s flowers. He continues each year to have a vegetable garden. Pat enjoys house plants and growing patio tomatoes in large pots. While Pat favors sitting outside on the back porch watching the change of seasons, Jerry likes piddling in his workshop and potting area.
Pat likes to watch things grow such as avocado pits that she sprouts and roots. Jerry likes to enjoy his vegetable garden all year long by canning and preserving his garden bounty. When they are not gardening, Pat enjoys reading and baking. Jerry enjoys reading and working puzzles.
The Farmers’ landscape is planted with plants like Forsythia and Wisteria, fruit trees and low maintenance flowers. Or as Pat says, “the yard is constantly a work in progress…we grow outstanding weeds!” Pat takes care of the inside plants and Jerry spends an average of 20 hours caring and maintaining the garden and yard in the growing seasons.
Something you might not know about Jerry; he was in the United States Marines and worked as a air traffic controller. He also had a remodeling business while living in Chattanooga and enjoys the projects he and Pat complete around their home. There was a time during Pat’s youth when she was very shy and was terrified of speaking in public. Well, we know she overcame that problem! She also flew a 2 engine plane from Pensacola to Tallahassee not long after her very first flight in her twenties.
Jerry’s words to live by are: “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken”
Pat’s words to live by are: “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Alexander Graham Bell
Jerry and Pat enjoy the fellowship and sharing between CCMGA members and volunteer opportunities that include children.
