A Message from KCMGA President

Rick Wolford, KC Master Gardener 2002

I wanted to remind everyone of the West Virginia Book Festival on October 21 and 22, 2006. The Kanawha County Master Gardener Association will have a booth set up there and we are sponsoring an author this year. He is John Tullock, who is also a photographer and conservationist. “Growing Hardy Orchids” is his first gardening book and was chosen by the American Horticultural Society as one of five “Great Garden Books of 2006.” You can earn CE hours for attending his presentation on Saturday, held in Parlor B at 10:30 a.m.

We will also have some of our own MGs conducting workshops. On Saturday, October 21, at noon in Parlor D, Extension Agent Kari Mazzaferro and I will be presenting the topic “Make Your Fall Yard Cleanup Count.”  Matters such as yard cleanup, winterizing your plants and cleaning garden tools will be addressed. On Sunday, October 22, at 4:30 p.m., Mary Anne Michael will be presenting “Container Gardening.” Topics include types of pots, soil preparation, plant selection, design basics and maintenance procedures.

Another upcoming event includes the West Virginia Master Gardener Conference at Mountaineer Racetrack and Conference Center in Chester, WV. The dates are October 6-8, 2006. The keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Mike McGrath, current editor of Plants magazine and host of the weekly, nationally syndicated Public Radio show, “You Bet Your Garden.” Contact Leanne Moorman at 304-564-3805 for more information.

Our organization will be sponsoring the West Virginia Master Gardener Conference in 2008. If you are interested in volunteering for the planning committee for this statewide event, please contact Leslie Fitzwater. This event will take a lot of planning and organization and will be a huge opportunity to showcase our county association.

One more event I want to mention is the International Master Gardener Conference that will be coming to Charleston in 2011. You will be hearing a lot about these conferences in the future.

I want to send out a special thank you to Linda Cook for updating our Master Gardener display board. She did a great job representing our county organization.

Enjoy all the autumn beauty that will be here soon,

Rick Wolford