WNFGA News

The sun is shining, the grass has turned green and the spring bulbs are blooming. Several weeks ago I would not have thought this possible, especially when we had a late March snowstorm with 7″ of snow. I live south of Detroit, between Toledo and Detroit, in Grosse Ile.

Today, April 17th, I am out in the sunshine, edging one garden with peony and hosta pips peaking through the soil, with forsythia, daffodils and hyacinths in bloom. I must admit shorts and short sleeves are the dress of the day in this wonderfully warm sunshine. Above the garage, I see our 40′ Magnolia tree, in full bloom. This is a southern Magnolia, rare in this area and probably 100 years old, as are many trees and shrubs in our yard, along with our house built in 1909. The original owners probably planted this tree hoping it would remind them of the south, especially with the sweeping front porch overlooking the Detroit River. Many families would come by boat from Detroit to their summer cottages here on the island, before the bridges were built, to beat the heat of the city.

Gardening has always been my favorite hobby, learning much from the gardens of my Grandparents and Mother. In June 2006, while being installed as WNF&GA National President, I established The Marla Diamond Master Gardener Scholarship, available only to WNF&GA members. I was in the first Master Gardener program in Michigan in 1977.

This scholarship is made available to encourage WNF&GA members to pursue preparation as a Master Gardener, a ten-week volunteer training program in horticulture education and volunteer leader training. The Diamond Scholarship offers four $250.00 individual scholarships each year to offset the cost of enrolling in this locally offered training program. More information and an application form can be found in the Fall 2006 and Fall 2007 issues of the Farm & Garden Magazine. Offered in each state through the state university Extension services, you’ll want to contact your local Extension office for further information. Think about taking the Master Gardener class next fall.

You have received the Spring National Magazine with the cover of The Perennial Garden at the Landscape Arboretum of Temple University Ambler, so beautiful! Don’t miss the opportunity to see this garden while attending our WNF&GA Spring Annual Meeting, June 4-8, 2008. This will be such an exciting time to visit the site of our future Ambler Greenhouse on the grounds where Farm & Garden was founded; to hear Michael Tooley present “The Gardens of Gertrude Jekyll”, tour Philadelphia area private and public gardens, and enjoy a wonderful evening at ‘Northview’, the private garden of Jenny Rose Carey. Don’t miss the May lst registration deadline. The bus from Michigan and Ohio still has a few openings.