Talcott Greenhouse and the Spring Bulb Show, Mt. Holyoke College

Russell Billings at Talcott Greenhouse, Mt. Holyoke

While the rest of us have been shivering in our snowy landscapes, Russell Billings, Director of the Talcott Greenhouse at Mt. Holyoke College, has been busy cooling and slowly warming hundreds of bulbs and other blooming plants coaxing them to a perfect stage of bloom. On Saturday, March 2 the doors of the greenhouse will open to the public to present Primavera, this year’s bulb show featuring glorious tulips and daffodils as well as many plants of the Italian garden, herbs, camellias, oleander, lavender, and box. This year terra cotta Tuscan pots add an extra Italianate touch to the displays.

While we enjoyed a brief period of sun, Billings ushered me into the warm Talcott Greenhouse where the air was fresh and sweet. The room was brilliant with color, banks of cineraria and calceolaria, trays of pale schizanthus with delicate little flowers that I thought looked like tiny irises, as well as those familiar early bloomers, pansies and primroses.

Billings said the week before the show is busy with students and staff moving potted plants out of the working rooms of the greenhouse into the main show room where they will be arranged around a reflecting pool. The brick edged pool is surrounded by a miniature fantasy of fine turf which was grown in flats. “Sometimes we arrange moving water for the bulb show,” Billings said. “People love that, but it is different every year. We have never repeated a theme.”

While it gets very busy in the last weeks before the flower show, Billings said preparations actually begin the summer before. “There is always a theme, and then I order special plants that will work within that theme. We also start to design how to arrange those plants in the greenhouse,” he said.

Tulips in the Talcott Greenhouse

Billings took me into the carefully temperature-controlled cool greenhouse where the tulips and daffodils are just coming into bloom. Remembering the time mice ate tulip bulbs I was forcing in my basement, I asked if they ever had trouble with critters. He said he has had mice enlarge drainage holes in a pot to get to the bulbs, but a bigger problem is with chipmunks and squirrels who get into the greenhouse during the warmer weather.

All the plants are in beautiful condition, but Billings said they did have trouble with whitefly earlier. He does not like to use poisons in the greenhouse. “Horticultural oil takes care of most of the problems,” he said. When he does have to use something stronger he makes sure it is nothing that requires closing up the greenhouse for longer than four hours.

Billings took me on tour of the slightly steamy tropical and subtropical rooms of the beautiful glass house which was completed in 1899.  Here is the permanent collection, which includes orchids, cacti and succulents, ferns, begonias, bromeliads, and aquatic plants. The collection is used for study by the students in biology and ecology classes. “We also give a plant to every incoming freshman, usually a jade plant or aloe. I tell them to water only when the soil is dry. But some students are so conscientious that they water once a week or too generously and the plant dies. I’ve been tweaking the planting mix and I think I have something now that drains really quick and makes the students more successful.” He reiterated advice I have heard from other plants people. More houseplants are killed by overwatering than underwatering.

So what happens to the bulbs and other plants after the show closes down? Billings began his career at Mt. Holyoke over 30 years ago on the grounds crew so he is happy to move some of the plants to locations around campus. Others are sold and some are just given away. “People like the tulips  and can’t bear to see them tossed. They put them in their gardens at home, but they rarely survive so we just give those away. At least half of the daffodils will bloom again next year.”

The free Mt. Holyoke Spring Flower Show runs from Saturday, March 2 until Sunday, March 17. Doors are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups should call 413-538-2116 ahead of time to make arrangements. The greenhouse is universally accessible.

The greenhouse is located right next to the Mt. Holyoke College Art Museum which is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m and Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. A current exhibit, Albert Bierstadt and the Legacy of Concern, features Bierstadt’s luminous paintings of the American west. The greenhouse and the art museum will give you two different types of experience, but both about beauty of the natural world.

Flora at Lyman Plant House, Smith College

The Lyman Plant House at Smith College is also holding its annual Spring Bulb Show March 2 until March 17. Hours are 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. In addition, an exhibit at the Church Exhibition Gallery titled From Petals to Paper: Poetic Inspiration from Flowers will be on view. This display of contemporary poetry inspired by the beauty of nature was created by Janan Scott ’13 and Liliana Farrel ’13, who have both been working in the Smith College Poetry Center for the past two years. The exhibits are free and universally accessible.

Between the Rows   March 2, 2013

Look Within for Spring Bloom

Daffodils at Talcott Greenhouse

The best place to find fresh spring bloom is to look within the greenhouses at Mt. Holyoke and Smith Colleges. Both colleges are having their annual spring flower shows and giving us the strength to get through these last days of winter.

Primrose at Mt. Holyoke

This looks just the supermarket primrose that I planted years ago and that blooms every spring in the dappled shade in back of our house.

Lyman Plant House display

Could it be that the goddess Flora has found her way to reign over Smith College’s spring flower show?

Pink tulips at Smith College

Tulips are in full bloom at Mt. Holyoke’s Talcott Greenhouse and Smith College’s Lyman Plant House. The exhibit ends March 17. Both exhibits are free and universally accessible. Hours: 10 am – 4 pm.

My tulips

After visiting the fabulous dispalys of spring bulbs, perennials, and flowering shrubs like camellias I was glad I could come home to my own little spring show. My tulips may not be tall but they are charming. And pink.

Full Moon Getaway at Stump Sprouts in Hawley

A Full Moon Getaway will be held at Stump Sprouts Guest Lodge and Cross Country Ski Center in Hawley to benefit the Franklin Land Trust on Sunday, January 27 from 1 pm on. Snowshoeing, skiing and hiking. Bring the kids! Soup and snacks for sale. Come for a full day, overnight or just for a Moonlight Frolic. Ski, Snowshoe, Hike and enjoy the beauty of rural western Massachusetts,  For full information about cost and events, which include a dinner click here.  Rain or Shine  Register here

Trekking over the snow under the winter moon is something no one will ever forget. Of course, froliking during the day on the beautiful Stump Spout hills is pretty terrific, too.

The Franklin Land Trust  is a 501(c)(3) devoted to the preservation of farm and forest land, and the rural character of western Massachusetts.  FLT helps farmers and other landowners protect their land from unwanted development. To date, FLT has helped to preserve over 25,000 acres of open space. The hills and valleys of the region—with their farms, sugar bush, rambling old New England roads,  and small towns steeped in history—are a unique and precious resource. Your support enables us to continue our efforts to protect this invaluable              resource. Please visit the website www.franklinlandtrust.org

Gifts of Christmas

Free Harvest Supper fudraiser for food pantry

As we race around shopping and buying Christmas gifts for the people we love, the Salvation Army bell-ringers seem an appropriate accompaniment. The Holy Family was poor, and enduring so much bad luck, that they had to find shelter in a stable for the birth of the Christ Child. It is not hard to imagine the fear that Mary must have felt as she labored to bring this baby into the world. Where were they to go from here?

And then the skies were filled with the heavenly host singing songs of joy, shepherds arrived to see what was going on, and finally three wise men arrived bearing rich gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is those wise men who gave birth to the idea that all who celebrate the miraculous birth, should do so with gifts. Ever since, the world of myth and story tell of the desire to give a gift, and which gifts were most valued.

There is the story of the poor girl who wanted to bring a gift to the Christ Child, but had nothing to give. She searched for wildflowers, but it was the wrong season. Her tears fell on the snow and the first Christmas roses, hellebores, bloomed to make a bouquet she could carry to the stable.

Another little girl also wept because she had no gift to bring. She gathered what dried grasses she could to make a kind of bouquet, but when she laid them by the manger they were instantly transformed into brilliant poinsettias.

One of my favorite Christmas stories is about why the bells rang on Christmas. Two poor brothers were on the way through the snowy night to bring their small gift to church, a church that had bells that did not ring on Christmas unless a great and especially valuable gift was given. The bells had not rung for many years. The two boys trudged along as fast as they could until they came across an old woman collapsed in the snow. One boy left to get help, but before he returned to his brother he slipped into the church as the great congregation was leaving, disappointed that the bells remained mute even after the king had left his jeweled crow. The boy crept unnoticed up to the altar to leave his small coin and then, suddenly, the bells began to chime, but no one knew why because the boy had already left to return to his brother and bring help to the old lady.

A more modern story by O. Henry is about the poor young couple, each of whom gave up their dearest possession to buy a Christmas gift for the other. All of these gifts were valuable, not because of their intrinsic worth, but because they were given out of love. Something to remember as we stand in front of the bright and shiny wealth of the department stores.

We might console ourselves with the thought that the three wise men did not show much wisdom in their choice of gifts, except possibly the one who brought gold to the poor family. Those who pay attention to symbols might say that we don’t really know what the wise men brought, but gold is a gift appropriate to a king, frankincense, a fragrant resin from a tree, is symbolic of a priesthood, and myrrh, another tree resin, is also used in embalming. These three items are symbolic of Christ’s life, but one cannot help wondering what Mary and Joseph thought as they opened what I imagine was a jeweled gift casket to find an embalming agent.

Still, all three gifts were intrinsically valuable, and that value was going to be very important to the Holy Family as they learned that Herod had ordered the death of all male infants.

An angel warned Joseph that he should not return home and so they fled, with that noble donkey, for Egypt. The poor family had not planned an extended time away from home and Joseph’s livelihood. Surely the gold was welcome and then I imagine the frankincense and myrrh were sold to provide them with a home in faraway Egypt.

During their flight to Egypt legends are told about the plants who gave their own gifts of service to the family. Mary had to wash the Christ Child’s clothes. Unlike other plants, the rosemary allowed her to hang them on her branches. Ever since the rosemary’s flowers are as blue as Mary’s robe. At one point, with Herod’s soldiers drawing near, the holly allowed the Holy Family to hide within its branches. It immediately grew lush and green with prickly foliage. How can you measure the value of these gifts, of help with every day tasks, or the gift of safety in danger?

Now as we hurry to complete our Christmas shopping, and grocery shopping so that we can bake special treats and a feast for gathering family and friends, we hear the Christmas bells of the Salvation Army on the street, and the bells of  our own churches. I think they are asking – what valuable gift have I forgotten? What do you hear when you hear the Christmas bells?

Between the Rows   December 22, 2012

What Does Prosperity Look Like

One beautiful day this fall I was driving around doing my errands when I passed a farmhouse shaded by trees. I was forcefully struck by the beauty of the well kept house in a peaceful shade. I was also struck by the thought that this is what prosperity looks like.

As we have traveled through the political campaign season, and the harvest season on our way to Thanksgiving I cannot help thinking about what it means to be prosperous, personally, in our community, and in our nation.

According to my American Heritage Dictionary prosperity means “the condition of having good fortune or financial success.” I was interested that the first condition is having good fortune, with financial success coming second. Certainly the United States is fortunate in the wealth of its natural resources and the vast acreage of fertile farmlands. It is fortunate in its hardworking population; a population ever revitalized by immigrants from all over the world who bring intelligence, strength, creativity and energy to benefit the nation as they build prosperity for their own families.

The dictionary does not define financial success. What does it take to feel  financially successful? I don’t think it requires great wealth, but it does require a sufficiency. It requires enough to provide a safe and warm home, enough food and clothing, access to health care and something left over for pleasures of the mind and

spirit.

Fortunately it does not take great wealth to enjoy a rich life. A rich life is made up of loving family and friends, and of involvement with community enterprises. Rewarding work is a large part of a rich life, but rewarding work does not always bring great wealth as any teacher, farmer, bank manager, nurse, car mechanic, plumber or electrician will tell you.

Our region is fortunate in its rich history of prudence and prosperity. We have good farmlands, beautiful hills and rivers that attract visitors from around the world, and a multitude of small and large businesses. We are fortunate in our population of intelligent, energetic and creative people who make up a vibrant community engaging in business, agriculture, the arts, and service to their towns by volunteering for town offices and boards.

It takes intelligence and labor to build prosperity. Whether we labor in the fields, in supermarkets, in restaurants, schools, hospitals or offices, we have to think, solve problems, and build relationships. We have to plan, and plan again when circumstances change.

When I plan and work in my spring garden I spread my resources of compost, fertilizers and seeds. Yet I may have to alter plans, and possibly gather new resources as the season progresses bringing drought or flood, insects or disease, or some other concern of my own that shortens my hours of garden labor.

So as I travel to Shelburne and Greenfield, make side trips to Ashfield and Deerfield and other surrounding towns I admire the well kept farmhouses, suburban streets, and new condominiums, but I also travel past the food pantries at the Center for Self Reliance and the Survival Center. I donate money and bake bread for the Food Distribution at the Charlemont Federated Church. The Recorder joins with Wilson’s Department store to sponsor and promote Warm the Children, an effort that supplies over 1000 children with vital winter clothing. Not all of us are enjoying good fortune.

I read news of business closings on the front page of newspapers and I see the list of home foreclosures on the back pages. It is easy to see that it takes more than intelligence and energy to build prosperity. It takes good luck as well.

And so as Thanksgiving approaches and I set off to buy cranberries, pumpkin, and apples, my contributions to the Family Feast, along with my homegrown squash, I give thanks for my own good fortune. I pray for good fortune for us all. I pray that all our legislators will work together with wisdom to find a way to take us all down the road to prosperity for all.

Between the Rows  November 17, 2012

Mary Lyon and the Annual Spelling Bee

Phil, Cameron and Pat – Prescriptive Orthographers

Mary Lyon, the founder of Mount Holyoke College, was born in Buckland in 1797. Nowadays the Mary Lyon Foundation supports local education in the hilltowns of western Massachusetts which include the town of her birth. Last night my team, the Prescriptive Orthographers sponsored by local Baker Pharmacy, was one of 25 teams who participated in our Annual Spelling Bee.

Robert Strong Woodward Wordsmiths

Every team got themselves up in more or less outrageous costumes. The Woodward Wordsmiths even brought the car that famous local artist Robert Strong Woodward used to travel around our hilltowns to find places to paint. He was quite fond of Heath and even built a little studio up on Burnt Hill at the edge of the blueberry fields. From that site now, on a clear day, you can see the towers of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst more than 50 miles away.

Spelling Bee

Since this was a team spelling bee the Spell Master pronounced the word, used it in a sentence and then pronounced it again. Then the teams had 30 seconds! to write it on their whiteboard and hold it up for the judges to review. Our team was  eliminated by the word CIRRHOSIS. We pondered – two Rs? Where are the Ss? Is there an H?  We were wrong. And out.

FRGOG COGitatiors win!

The FRGOG is the Franklin County Council of Governments that gives local towns services and expertise. Look at the great brains on  those COGitators. This, the final round, took a long time. Three of the five finalist teams were either all wrong or all right through words like lachrymal, irascible, paen, arrythimia, psephology, gallimaufry and sphingine. I will leave it to you to find definitions.  ACCOUCHEUR is the word that won them the Big Trophy. An accoucheur is one who assists at a birth, like a midwife. The COGitators also  won a  trophy for the best  costume!

Cindy Fisher and Me

When all the fierce competition, and the shouting and prize winning is over, we contestants resume our friendships. Cindy Fisher, artist and great speller,  and I compared notes. She was on The Classics team from the Buckland Library.

Now you might wonder what a Spelling Bee post is doing on a garden blog. The word COTYLEDON took out a couple of  teams during  our round. Then one or two contestants looked at me sharply because they knew I was a gardener and was familiar with cotyledons – An embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first leaves to appear from a germinating seed. It’s true. I do rejoice at the sight of emerging cotyledons.

The ABCs of Heritage Apples, and Others

Apex Farm Store

A is for Apple, but if we look at heritage apples we can march right through the alphabet. Baldwin, Cox’s Orange Pippin, (Old) Delicious, Esopus Spitzenberg, Golden Russet, and on through to Northern Spy, Roxbury Russet, Stayman Winesap and Westfield Seek-No-Farther.

The Roxbury Russet and Westfield Seek-No-Farther remind us that some apples had a very local fame and audience before they spread to wider fields. In fact, Roxbury Russet was the first named apple in Massachusetts.

Even though we think of apples as a quintessential American fruit, apples originated in southeastern Asia, Kazakhstan and Turkey thousands of years ago. There are over 7000 cultivars, but you don’t usually get any sense of how many apples are grown, even now, if your only experience with apples is from the supermarket.

Fortunately we live in an area where apples thrive, and where we have a number of small orchards selling a much wider variety of apples – and cider. Last week I visited Apex in Shelburne, Barkley’s in Heath and Clarkdale in Deerfield and my husband is looking forward to apples cooked sweet and savory as well as the healthful apple a day eaten out of hand. I never get tired of apples and my father said no meal was complete without his apple for dessert.

Fuji apples

Tom Clark of Clarkdale Fruit Farm said there are still Baldwin and Northern Spy trees on his farm that his grandfather planted. He said that Baldwins were an important New England apple. At the turn of the 20^th century Colrain had more Baldwin apple trees than any other town in the state. The apples came out of Colrain on the trolley, then to the train in Shelburne Falls, and then to Boston where they were shipped to England. It was the Baldwin’s keeping qualities that made this possible. “Of course, this might just be a local legend,” Clark said. But it does seem possible.

In the 1930s there were winters so severe that most of the Baldwin trees were killed. It was the new Macintosh apple that took its place. This apple has a tender skin and doesn’t keep as well, but refrigerated transportation was becoming available so keeping quality wasn’t as important.

Clark grows a range of heritage apples along with the newer varieties like Honey Crisp, but he said that he liked Baldwins, and that a “ripe russet is nice.” He did say that Americans in general liked pretty red apples but that the Jonagold apple, a cross between the Jonathan and Golden Delicious is the most planted apple in Germany and France. He has heard “that Americans buy with their eyes, and Europeans buy with their mouths.”

There is a new interest among foodies for cider, soft and hard, but Clarkdale Fruit Farm has been making cider for 50 years. Many of these old apple varieties make especially good cider. My friend Alan Nichols planted a cider orchard quite a number of years ago and those apples are in demand again as the new owner of the orchard is making his own cider,

Alan Nichols’ brother Lew wrote a book, Cider: Making, Using and Enjoying Sweet and Hard Cider, with Annie Proulx back in 1980 which is still available. Nichols and Proulx suggest a long list of cider apples for New England that includes Baldwin, Cortland, Esopus Spitzenberg (Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple), Gravenstein, Jonathan, Fameuse, Roxbury Russet and Stayman Winesap among others.

Cider is such a fashionable drink right now that we celebrate locally with Cider Days, scheduled this year for November 3 and 4. This event will take place at a number of locations in Greenfield, Deerfield, and Shelburne. You can find a full schedule of tastings, apple butter making, a locavore harvest supper and more on the website www.ciderday.org.

Apex Orchard in Shelburne also grows a wide range from Baldwins, Spitzenbergs, Macouns and Fuji as well as Reine de Pomme and Ashmead Kernel that they grow for West County Cider.

I cannot say I was surprised to see that West County Cider’s Redfield was a featured recommendation in the November issue of Martha Stewart’s Living. West County Cider makes several varietal hard ciders, which only use a single apple variety, like Redfield as well as a Heritage Blend Cider. Many chefs are now thinking about pairing a cider with a particular dish, the way wines have been paired in the past.

Apex Orchard cooler

I was talking to Sarah Davenport at Apex Orchard and she said she liked Macoun and Fuji apples, but it was hard to choose a favorite.

Tim Smith of Apex refused to limit himself to one favorite apple. He said he liked them all, but he said his grandfather, Lyndon Peck had a favorite – the large Pound Sweet. “He had a baked Pound Sweet with his breakfast every morning from late September until March,” Smith said.

I am so happy to have all these apply choices. Sue Chadwick, who had a huge collection of heritage apples in Buckland when I was librarian there, told me the secret to her famous apple pies was using several apple varieties. I start with Northern Spy because there is an old saying “For the best pie, use Northern Spy.” Other good pie apples are Roxbury Russet, Baldwin, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Golden Delicious and the new Honeycrisp.

I also just learned that Cornell University sells apples from their experimental orchards in vending machines on campus. Those smart university people appreciate the importance of an apple a day!

Between the Rows   October 20, 2012

Counting the Days with Inspiration and Education with UMass Garden Calendar

UMass Extension Garden Calendar

The 2013 UMass Garden Calendar gives us inspiration and education as this season closes down, and we gardeners are already thinking about a new growing season.

For many years , UMass Extension has worked with the citizens of Massachusetts to help them make sound choices about growing, planting, and maintaining plants in their landscapes, including vegetables, backyard fruits, and ornamental plants. Our 2013 garden calendar continues UMass Extension’s tradition of providing gardeners with useful information. This year’s calendar includes tips for creating colorful container gardens, including helpful “recipes” of plant combination ideas for sun and shade.

As always, each month features:      * An inspiring garden image.      * Daily gardening tips for Northeast growing conditions.      * Daily sunrise and sunset times.      * Phases of the moon.      * Plenty of room for notes.      * Low gloss paper for easy writing.

Each year, the Garden Calendar presents a selection of plants chosen by the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry staff for pest resistance, adaptability to specific growing environments, and seasonal effectiveness. A brief description accompanies each photo to help understand these plant choices. Furthermore, daily gardening tips provide information on garden pests and management strategies to help gardeners reduce pesticide usage. Also included are “how-to and when” tips such as dates to plant peas, renovate lawns, prune and fertilize roses, conserve water in the landscape, and many more.

The Cooperative Extension Service which is part of the University of Massachusetts agricultural mission has changed over the years, in part due to budget cuts. I was honored to be a member of the Board for a time and gained great respect for the Extension programs and agents who worked for home gardeners as well as for state farmers. Nowadays one of the ways they reach gardeners is through their annual calendar. I like this calendar so much is because the advice is local. Those UMies understand our climate. And they have fabulous photographs of an interesting selection of plants.

The UMass Garden Calendar cost $12, but there is bulk pricing for 10 or more. If you buy 9 calendars (for all your gift giving) or fewer, you can have free shipping Until November 1. You can order online or by sending your name and shipping information to UMass Garden Calendar, c/o Mailrite, 78 River Road South, Putney, VT 05346

An Autumnal Wedding in Heath with Cake

'Wedding' cake

Yesterday I finished making a cake, to serve as ONE of the wedding cakes, for the wedding of our good friends Lyra and Ed. This is an All Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake with Mousseline buttercream frosting from my favorite cake cookbook, the Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. When I bought this cookbook I was particularly taken by the love story Rose tells in her Introduction and I can never resist repeating it when I am serving a cake to a new Cake Bible audience. It is particularly apt for a wedding cake.

Rose was in a master’s program at Cornell and was proud of the academic response to her dissertation. “Feeling proud after seven years of night school as a food major, I presented my paper to a boyfriend who was a physician.

To my amazement, he actually snickered, saying” ‘Is this what you consider a suitable topic for a dissertation?’

It only required a week’s interval to recover sufficiently to hazard showing the paper on a first date to Elliot Beranbaum, also a physician. . . . By then the paper had taken on the aspect of a test of sorts. I watched as he leafted through the 24 pages gravely nodding his head. Finally I couldn’t resist asking: ‘You don’t find this topic a little funny?’

‘Not at all, he replied. ‘I have encountered the same problem with dry ingredients for my digestion studies’  . . .

I thought to myself: Ah hah! This is the man I am going to marry. We have the same approach to life.” And marry they did.

The mousseline buttercream is what surprises people. It is not overly sweet and it tastes so light. Then I explain how you make this merinque buttercream which begins with beaten egg whites, adding a sugar syrup cooked to the firm ball stage – slowly – and then – slowly – adding one pound of unsalted butter.  It is the pound of butter that shocks everyone, but the recipe makes a lot of frosting. I’m making a small cake today for us just so I can use the rest of the mousseline.

Mother of the Bridge and cakes

Cynthia, mother of the bridge, helped serve the wedding cakes. She made the Red Velvet Groom’s cake, and Susan put a whole bouquet of flowers on her chocolate cake. I used ‘Starlet’ spoon mums, a reflection of the golden September afternoon.

Ed and Lyra

A perfect day!

Could You Be a Master Gardener?

Linda Bisallion and Nancy Haskins (L-R)

Nancy Haskins and Linda Bisallion were totally oblivious to the rain sheeting off the Master Gardeners canopy as they talked with gardeners and potential gardeners at the Franklin County Fair last Saturday. Both are enthusiastic gardeners who not only enjoy working in their own gardens, they are eager to help others with their garden problems or questions. They found that becoming Master Gardeners was the way that they  could learn more about the soil, plants, and plant problems themselves and then share that knowledge with gardeners in a variety of ways.

Bisallion was a member of the 2009 class for Master Gardeners. “I love talking with the public and answering their questions. Sometimes we have to do research to answer those questions, but I like doing research.” Staffing the e-mail Hotline on the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners website makes it possible to do that research and then getting back to gardener.

Haskins has been a Master Gardener for six years. “I’ve been gardening a long time and I wanted to become a Master Gardener, but I had to wait until I had more time myself.” She echoed what many gardeners said. Master Gardener training and the volunteer time required for working as a Master Gardener call for a real commitment of time.

The 2013 Master Gardener classes will be held on Tuesdays at Holyoke Community College from January through mid-April. Some day-long classes will be held at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. Lectures are given by University of Massachusetts professors, various professionals, and other Master Gardeners. The course fee is $300. These training sessions are only offered every other year. Applications are due by September 27.

Linda Haskins said that the training is serious. “For a while I didn’t know if I could do it, but it has really paid off for me. We do a lot of what the Extension service used to do. I love sharing what I’ve learned.”

She went on to say that much of what people need to know is pretty basic. Sun loving plants need sun, and shade loving plants need shade. I know from my own experience that having a favorite flower on the wrong site can lead to a lot of frustration.

Michelle Delisio also noted that the training  classes are very serious. ”There is a lot of information. We have a textbook and handouts, with regular tests.” Delisio organized the Master Gardener booth at the Greenfield Farmers Market and took her turn staffing the booth. She also worked on organizing the Spring Symposium. “Next year the symposium will be held on March 16^th.” I’ve already put a hold on the date.

Along with other Master Gardeners who have taken a turn, Delisio has enthusiastically shared her passion in a variety of ways, including volunteering at the Bridge of Flowers, answering visitors’ questions about plants on the Bridge, and about their own gardens.

As a member of the Bridge of Flowers committee I know that visitors to the Bridge have really appreciated having someone available who can identify plants and give advice.

After training the new Master Gardeners begin the 60 hours of volunteering required in their first year, answering questions and doing soil tests at Farmers Markets and other sites like the County Fair, giving garden talks, staffing the phone and email Hotlines, and sometimes working on community beautification projects. After their first year, only 15 hours of volunteer time is required. Currently about 200 Master Gardeners are on the job.

Maria Leblanc, another member of the 2011 class said her father was a gardener and she has always gardened. As a new Master Gardener she helped planting the garden next to the Master Gardener’s booth at the Franklin County Fair and answering questions at the farmers markets. She said that you tend to get a lot of the same questions. “This year everyone is asking about red lily leaf beetles. We tell them to hand pick them. We can only give organic answers because poisons can be so dangerous.” She said it is a treat when you get to work on a community project. Recently she worked with a group at a nursing home to weed the garden and plant spring blooming bulbs.

You do not have to be a long time and experienced gardener to apply. Young gardeners will gain a lot of information that they will be able to use themselves, and experienced gardeners know that there is always more to learn. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener and joining the 2013 class, you can get full information about the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association and an application form at their website, or contact Laura Dumouchel at laura.dumouchel@gmail.com. The training is for residents of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties.

Between the Rows   September 15, 2012