Contributed by Lynne Ellen Kaiser

The 2002 Growing With Master Gardeners Conference ...dedicated to distributing current research-based gardening information...

This annual community education conference is organized entirely by volunteers of the Master Gardener Association of Wayne County (MGAWC), a non-profit organization dedicated to:

• distributing current research-based gardening information,
• increasing environmental awareness,
• promoting gardening activities, and
• supporting volunteerism in southeastern Michigan.

The twentieth annual conference open to all interested gardeners and environmentalists will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at the Social Sciences Building in the northwest corner of the University of Michigan–Dearborn campus (UMD), where there is plenty of free parking.  Details will be posted here as available.  Keep checking.

Sponsored by the Environmental Interpretative Center (EIC) at UMD since 2000, Growing with Master Gardeners is a full day of education, fun, networking, and inspiration. 

Beginning gardeners are encouraged to attend. Thanks to volunteers, the $40 full-day registration represents the first price increase since 1999 and includes:

• two keynotes,
• three workshops chosen from a variety of seasonal and environmental topics,
• snacks,
• a box lunch with bottled water, and
• a chance at door prizes including bat guano!

Material fees for hands-on classes are not included in the $40 registration fee.  Sorry, no refunds, but you may send a substitute to follow your class schedule which will be printed on your nametag.  Proceeds from the conference support grants to community gardening projects and MGAWC’s Leo Blum Memorial college scholarships for students working towards undergraduate degrees in horticultural and environmental sciences.  To donate door prizes or food items, contact Phyllis at . 

BROCHURE MAILING IN THE SUMMER
Past conference attendees will receive a brochure in the mail this summer.  To be added to the bulk mailing list, please send your name, address, city, state and zip code (all 9 digits if possible) to Amy at or leave your mailing address at the MGAWC 24-hour info line, 734-786-6860 (Ann Arbor number).  Also check back in early August for a registration form with all the details on classes.  To receive timely information about this event and our other affordable educational programs, you are invited to subscribe to our e-alerts by sending an email to with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line.

LOYAL PATRONS
A good value, a variety of classes, a fun experience, and a fine educational facility draw many repeat attendees year after year from well beyond Wayne County.  Please register early to avoid disappointment.  In recent years, the conference reached capacity at over 300 before the registration deadline.

BOOK SALES: Cash or Check
MGAWC will sell books and garden merchandise at the conference.  For the protection of attendee identity security and the preservation of volunteer sanity, MGAWC is not able to accept credit cards at this time. Cash and good checks are gratefully accepted.

Volunteers will collect and share a variety of free information about community resources so attendees can keep growing all year long.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
During lunch or after the conference, attendees may

• relax near the water feature,
• visit the displays in the Environmental Interpretative Center, open daily 10 to 5,
• explore the vast natural areas on campus,
• check out the nearby UMD Community Organic Garden, or
• enjoy the small contemplative garden on the other side of campus.

Come back another day and tour the Henry Ford Estate, a national historic landmark, with Jens Jensen designed landscape, also on UMD campus.

RETURNING VOLUNTEERS
Past GMG volunteers, please check back in the summer for information about this year’s volunteer opportunities.  Past conference attendees interested in volunteering should check back for details on the volunteer orientation, probably held in August.

EDUCATION HOURS
The program features two one-hour keynotes and three one-hour workshops.  Local Extension offices have historically granted five hours of educational credit.  Please direct all questions about certification procedures to the paid staff at the MSUE office you select to track and confirm your hours.

HISTORY
Formerly Gardening in the 90’s, Growing with Master Gardeners (GMG) began in 1989 as a half-day workshop in Wayne.  The following year it was a full-day program.  Over the years, GMG and Gardening in the 90’s have been held at RESA county facilities in Wayne, churches in Plymouth and Dearborn, Mill Race Historical Village in Northville, and Henry Ford Community College, next to the current UMD campus.

In the early years, the conference included a children’s program organized by Rose Marsh and other volunteers.  Building on that success, Mike Hoffman’s Budding Botanists class at GMG paved the way for the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) program that was founded by volunteers in neighboring Washtenaw County.  In 1996, MGAWC member Mike Hoffman initiated the JMG program in Wayne County.  With the help of many dedicated volunteers, the program expanded quickly.  MGAWC funded the JMG classes as needed including publishing and mailing a quarterly newsletter, and purchasing class materials and T-shirts for children.  Later, Michele Telerski-Rees helped other volunteers continue the program until 2003, when MSU Extension assumed responsibility.  MGAWC volunteers continue to support JMG programs at various elementary schools.  The half-day children’s component of GMG was retired in 2002 due to lack of interest.

Past conference keynote speakers include Dan Ballnik, Bob Bricault, Jr, Barry Burton, Fred Case, Jr, Susan Gruber, Ralph Heiden, Dean Krauskopf, Ph.D., Scott Kunst, Nancy Lindley, Norm Lownds, Ph.D., Janet Macunovich, George Papadelis, Anton Reznicek, Ph.D., Kim Roth and Nancy Szerlag.

In the early 2000’s, a core team of up to ten volunteers, all with significant family, employment, and community responsibilities, met monthly from March through September to organize the conference.  In addition to the conference organizing team, dozens of experienced MGAWC volunteers donated their time, talent, energy, expertise, contacts and out-of-pocket expenses to make this annual educational conference a success.  See the list of GMG Above & Beyond Volunteer Award recipients.