The North Central Wisconsin Master Gardener Association (NCWMG) & UW-Extension present Garden Visions Conference, Jan. 20-21, 2017, a conference for Northern Climate Gardeners. All events are at Northcentral Technical College.
Pre-registrations must be postmarked or submitted online by Jan. 15, 2017. Walk in registration for Friday and Saturday will be accepted on the day of, however session choices may be limited. (No lunch for walk-in’s).
[h6]Friday:[/h6]
Garden Visions starts on Friday, Jan. 20, with a Slow Food Dinner. Wausau Chef Clint Schultz of Urban Street Bistro will team up with Jane Hawley Stevens to present the 3rd Annual Slow Food Dinner. Jane’s presentation, Empower Yourself By Growing Your Own, will provide information about growing your own food, food as your medicine and vitamins. She will talk about the amazing healing power of herbs and vegetables, and ways to incorporate herbs into your flower and vegetable gardens.
[h6]Saturday:[/h6]
Listen to national and regional speakers, view educational exhibits, enjoy Garden Vision’s photography contest submissions, take a chance on great raffle prizes, meet and greet speakers, authors, vendors and shop. The conference is open to the public and you do not have to be a Master Gardener to attend; anyone with an interest and curiosity for gardening is welcome.
Keynote speaker is Susan Martin of Holland, MI with the topic, “If You Could Only Pick One: Perennial Gold Standards.” Susan is an avid gardener who has spent most of her career in the horticultural industry. She has worked in independent garden sales, and has her own garden design and maintenance business, focused on installing unique plants to suit her clients’ individual styles. She has worked for various large wholesale plant companies, including the largest wholesale grower of perennials in the U.S. Susan finds her calling in spreading the joy of gardening to her fellow gardeners, a love that was instilled in her by her parents. She is a native of Michigan where she has been gardening since the age of four in both sandy and clay soils in zones 4-6. She is a writer and speaker for gardening audiences throughout the U.S. You can find Sue on Facebook at Gardener Sue’s News.
North Central Wisconsin Master Gardener Association (NCWMG) has been Growing, Learning, Teaching and Sharing gardening and agriculture for over 20 years. The association includes Lincoln and Marathon counties and maintains an active membership of more than 80 volunteers.
NCWMG volunteers have established and served in many service projects including: staffing the Garden Line, Garden Clinic and booth at Weston Farmer’s Market, hosting the Garden Visions conference, hosting Gardenville, annual spring plant sale, hosting Garden Walk, establishing a Native Wisconsin Wildflower Garden at Rib Mountain State Park, and maintaining a teaching garden. In the last 20 years NCWMG volunteers have served in many notable community service projects including:
•Rib Mountain
•Yawkey House Museum Garden, Wausau
•Aspirus YMCA Community Garden, 3402 Howland Ave., Weston
•Garden of Giving, Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield
•Robert W. Monk Garden, Wausau
•Rothschild Village Hall Gardens, Rothschild
•Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum Gardens, Wausau
The University of WI-Extension has been helping people solve their agricultural problems since 1913. Extension agents/farm advisors supervised “Victory Gardens” during World War I and II and have helped home and community gardeners ever since. Eventually, a voluntary educational program was initiated to teach gardening to people who would then extend the information to others in the community. The first Master Gardener Volunteer Program was started in 1972 in Washington State. Since then, Master Gardener Volunteer Programs have spread to more than 45 states and four Canadian provinces, and boasts of more than 45,000 volunteers.