Chilton County Master Gardeners are pretty proud of their accomplishment of hosting the 2019 AMGA Conference this past May at Clanton Performing Arts Center. They worked hard, learned a lot, and had a “little” left over at the end! Photo by Audrey GIles.
Fred Bassett, a well-known hummingbird expert, was the speaker for our October meeting. Fred has banded over 30,000 hummingbirds from Florida to Alaska. Ruby throated hummingbirds are the most common hummingbirds found in our area. Plants and a feeder will attract the birds to your yard. For a list of hummingbird friendly plants: http://www.hummingbirdresearch.net/files/HummingbirdPlants.pdf
Fred discussed many types of hummingbirds and their normal range. At this time of year it is good to leave feeders out for those birds traveling through. There have been eleven different kinds found in central and south Alabama during the winter.
Four more 2019 Master Gardener class members have completed requirements for certification and were presented their badge and certificate. Congratulations to Joan Barber, Benita Cahalane, Clem Clapp and May Cremer-Stewart! Photos by Audrey GIles.
Chilton County Master Gardeners held our traditional May plant swap and pot luck lunch at Susan Cleckler’s home. We thoroughly enjoyed her lovely shade garden: ferns, hostas, hydrangeas, ivy, lamium, heucheras and more. Plants were swapped and starts were shared so everyone went home with an addition for their garden. Pat Farmer earned her ruby star for four thousand volunteer hours and gold badges were presented to Diane Clapp, Jackie Hickman, Rick Miller, Lee Walters and Wally Walters. Lyn Webb earned her Master Gardener certification and was presented with her badge and certificate. Congratulations to all!
The 2019 AMGA Conference has come and gone after 3 years of intensive preparation by Chilton, Shelby, and Autauga Counties. Everyone that attended enjoyed the speakers, facility, Whimsies Workshop, silent auction, the Hoe Down and Bertelone’s Italian Dinner. Our Silent Auction was a huge success with a wide assortment of items for everyone to bid on. The speakers were well received with Joe Lamp’l of “Growing a Greener World” a big hit. Dr. Neil Lamb, Jason Powell, Jane McCarthy “the Hosta Lady”, and Lelia Scott Kelly were just a few of our very entertaining speakers. The Whimsies Workshop sold out quickly and 40 more spots were immediately added. We were all exhausted when it was over, but very proud of how it all turned out!
At the February 28, 2019 meeting of the AMGA Conference Volunteers, anticipation was building as Tracey Britnell, a Conference tour speaker and employee of Petals from the Past, drew the winner’s name from the early registrants. Registration Chairman Alice Broome held the bag for Tracey. AND THE WINNER OF EARLY REGISTRATION IS…….Laura Fields from Tuscaloosa Master Gardener Association!! Congratulations, Laura, your registration to the 2019 AMGA Spring Conference is paid for!
Chilton County Master Gardener Association, along with Autauga and Shelby County MG Associations, has the honor of hosting the 2019 Alabama Master Gardener Association Conference. The Conference is being held at Clanton Performing Arts Center in Clanton, AL on May 8,9, and 10. The public is welcome and registration is now open. There is a great lineup of speakers and activities! One of our most noted speakers is Joe Lamp’l, Executive Producer and Host of the PBS series “Growing a Greener World”, previous host of DIY’s “Fresh from the Garden”, and on-air contributor to The Today Show, Good Morning America, and the Weather Channel. And he is just one of the great speakers!
Online registration is at www.alabamamg.org. Just click on 2019 Annual State Conference(in red), then click on Registration (in green) to be taken to online registration. We hope to see you at the AMGA 2019 Conference!
Our program this month was presented by Mr. Glenn Huovinen. Mr. Houvinen, a Master Gardener in Autauga County, is working on his Advanced Master Gardener certification in “Gardening in Small Spaces”. His program was very informative, outlining the process of drawing a plan, getting a soil test, deciding what you like to eat and want to grow, and whether to grow in a raised bed or containers. He also explained about hooking up a rain barrel to your gutter system to help with watering. Mr. Huovinen talked about how to air prune and irrigate pots. He even touched on the art of Espalier for growing fruit trees, since this is a very space saving technique. I think everyone enjoyed his program on Gardening in Small Spaces.
We are excited and working hard on getting everything scheduled and set up. We have some excellent speakers, one being Joe Lamp’l from the television series “Growing a Greener World”, which is an award-winning PBS series. He was also host of Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network, and has been on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and the Weather Channel. The Conference is open to the public, but you must pre-register to attend. Registration starts in January, more information will follow.
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