Asclepias tuberosa, butterfly milkweed - Photo courtesy Master Gardener Steve Shaw

Hi, MG News readers –

Welcome to the summer edition of MG News. The word "summer" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language word "sem-or semh" meaning "as one, together with; summer." Summer’s origin certainly summarizes the spirit of our organization. We come together to serve the community by growing vegetables for food pantries, beautifying public spaces, providing horticultural outreach and education. The MMGA is all about coming together to give back and make a positive impact, one garden at a time.

This summer, let's also come together to learn, grow and have some fun. Whether you are digging in the soil at one of the many MMGA gardens, visiting a fellow MG garden, attending the Associates Summer Social on July 19th, or soaking up knowledge at our Gardening Symposium on September 23rd (Early Bird discount pricing ends today), this summer is all about having fun while sharing what we love - gardening!

Enjoy your summer. MG News will be back in October.

Susan Cormier, Editor and Communications Coordinator
Letter from President Ann McCartan
Hello, Master Gardeners! 

These last few months have brought about some changes and a continuing rededication to the values and mission of the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association. In the spirit of transparency, we reopened observation of Board Meetings to all MGs. In the spirit of collaboration, we’ve begun to work with the Region Committees to source students for the next Certification Program.  

We promised to listen to our Associates, and to what is going on in the environment in the communities where we work and live, and to that end recently concluded the active work sessions of our Strategic Planning project with key outcomes such as a newly revised Mission Statement and the formation of key initiatives for MMGA.

Our new Mission Statement reads:  

The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to share research-based horticultural knowledge and experience with the public through Master Gardener Certification, outreach, education, volunteering, and public gardening programs for the advancement of best practices in sustainable, regenerative horticulture.

Expect to hear more about the four initiatives that emerged from this mission statement as well as how to join two new committees which focus on our external commitments. 

  • Committee 1 will convene to determine how we can support underserved communities through volunteering, outreach, grants, scholarships, and external education programs to promote interaction and shared horticultural experiences.

  • Committee 2 will focus on pinpointing the intersection of climate change and horticulture to determine where and how Master Gardeners fit in. It will then focus on creating MMGA educational programs for both Master Gardeners and the public to foster awareness and highlight best practices.  

This next fiscal year marks the 15th Anniversary of MMGA becoming an independent nonprofit. We will begin that anniversary with festivities as part of the Annual Meeting in September.  

Have a great summer and I hope to see you in the gardens or in person at an Associates meeting.
Chris Gatti, Past President

Bylaws Review 2023
A busy summer is ahead because it’s that time again…time to review our MMGA Bylaws and Policies & Procedures and also time to select a Nominating Committee for the next board term.

For the Bylaws Review process, immediate Past President and Committee Chair, Chris Gatti, has selected a team of four board members to assist in the review process, and each will solicit input from our board regarding any potential amendments. The bylaws are like our “operating manual,” outlining the rules and guidelines we must follow as an organization. They need to be current and flexible enough to allow for future changes in the organization’s needs.

The final set of recommendations for bylaws amendments will be shared with all MMGA Associates 30 days prior to our 2023 Annual Meeting, when we will hold an Advisory Vote of all associates present at the meeting.

Nominating Committee 2024
While it may seem early to be considering who will serve on our 2024 Nominating Committee, the work actually begins this summer. The Nominating Committee, which is an independent committee of Master Gardeners, works together to identify and present a slate of candidates for the approval of the sitting board and our MMGA Associates.

Also chaired by Chris Gatti, per our Bylaws, the list of proposed members of the next Nominating Committee will be shared with our MMGA Associates 30 days prior to our 2023 Annual Meeting. The committee must have a minimum of five members and no more than ten, and associates may also nominate MGs they feel would be an asset to this process.
Paula Peterson, Vice President - Internal

Putting on our yearly educational (and fun!) Massachusetts Gardening Symposium not only takes months of research, planning and execution, but also an MMGA village! 

Props to Symposium Committee members:
  • Chair Liz McCarron, who is managing logistics and keeping the team moving in the right direction
  • “Wrangler Wrangler” Betsy Caruso and the “Wranglerettes” (Erica Bond, Judith Levine, Sarah Murphy, and Daryn Stylianopoulos), who are liaisons with this year’s four exciting speakers. Erica is also Symposium Registrar, and Judith is in charge of Goodie Bags.
  • Kathi Gariepy, who has been busy lining up vendors for the Garden Marketplace (And, yes, Iron Arts will be back!)
  • Ann Hopps Morgan, who is managing the SympInfo Q&A mailbox and helping the Communications team with marketing the event
  • And Anne Stoma and Leslie Leslie, who are beating the bushes (natives, of course!) for raffle donations

Thank you, too, to the following Board members and teams:
  • Communications Coordinator Susan Cormier and her Newsletter, Circulation, and Social Media teams
  • Outreach Coordinator Andrea Katsenes for getting Symposium flyers into the hands of AAMG and Soil Testing volunteers so they can share with the public
  • Gardening Coordinator Elena Bortolan Larco, who provided a list of Project Garden contacts for PR
  • IT Coordinator Judy Artley for her team’s help with portal and public website pages
  • Regions Coordinator Kim Sullivan and the four Regional leads for helping to beat the MG bushes
  • All of the MGs who have shared our Symposium flyer with their garden clubs and gardening friends. If you haven’t yet done so, please do!

To learn more about the 2023 Symposium and sign up, visit our Symposium website. REMINDER: Early Bird pricing ends tonight at 11:59:59 PM – To save $15.00, make sure you register today.
Spring Shout Outs!

  • Mayre Hammond gave a Shout Out to Carol Rego, applauding her management of soil testing as well as the important help she gave to the Master Gardener Certification program.
  • Ann Hopps Morgan gave a Shout Out to Anne Stoma for her success in sourcing exciting speakers this year as a member of the Symposium Committee, as well as for her work with golden retriever therapy dogs.
  • Rebecca Dinsmore gave a Shout Out to several dedicated gardeners at the Dorothy Quincy Homestead: Charlotte Delaney, Mayre Hammond, Nancy Connolly, and Ann Mackey.
  • One memorable Shout Out went out to Eileen Clark and Kathleen Devericks for their outstanding service to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill: they are the recipients of the 2023 Annual Volunteer Award. 

The Shout Out program is a regular feature of Associates Meetings. This unscripted program recognizes unsung heroes whose activities have had an impact, either within the MMGA or in the greater community. Any active MMGA member can give a Shout Out by raising their hand during an Associates Meeting and giving a brief description of why they are acknowledging the person. Attending virtually? Just raise your hand on Zoom and give a Shout Out! MG News will print all Shout Outs quarterly. 
Coordinator Updates
Membership
Madge Desmond

The Summer Social is happening on Wednesday July 19 at the Boylston Schul-Verein (German Club) in Walpole starting at 6PM. The $15 fee includes a buffet and a FULL bar. Whatever the weather, we'll be comfortable in this welcoming air-conditioned space. The SUG is open, so sign up now and we'll see you at what promises to be a terrific gathering.

If you want to attend the Social but need a ride, or if you are able to provide a ride to a fellow MG, please contact Paula Peterson vp@massmastergardeners.org or Madge Desmond membership@massmastergardeners.org. Presently, MGs in Waban, Peabody and Marlboro are in need of a ride, please help if you can.
Communication
Susan Cormier

The Communication Team added two new members this past quarter. Madeline Chamberlain, Certified Master Gardener and Carolyn Alessi, Intern, Class of 2023 joined the Communications Team as copy editors. Their responsibilities include writing and/or editing content for our newsletters The Dirt and MG News, as well as external and internal communications. Welcome, Madeline and Carolyn!

Press Clippings - MMGA in the News!

  • Gretel Anspach and Bonnie Power were in the news recently representing the MMGA. Gretel's article is entitled "How to keep your garden pest-free without killing pollinators. Tips from a master gardener" which can be found here.

  • Eileen Clark and Kathleen Devericks received the 2023 New England Botanic Garden Annual Volunteer Awards. Eileen, who began volunteering in 2014, has given 1,200 volunteer hours to the Garden, supporting the team in a variety of invaluable capacities including mentoring new volunteers. Kathleen began volunteering at the Garden in 2019 and has given 440 hours through hands-on work in the gardens and as a Garden Explainer, welcoming visitors and sharing information about plants. Congrats Eileen and Kathleen!

Are you a Master Gardener who has recently been featured in the news or received an award? We want to hear about it! Share the article with us so we can celebrate the good news. It's always inspiring to see our fellow MGs making an impact in the world of gardening and beyond.
Continuing Education
Maureen Pritzker

The Continuing Education team has sponsored 14 programs and 7 VAMG/VAPGs since April:
  • 3 zoom lectures (perennial garden design, plant diversity, and herbs)
  • 6 in-person programs (3 hands on pruning classes, 3 guided walking tours)  
  • 4 in-person lectures in conjunction with regional meetings 
  • Our first in person and zoom hybrid program using Owl 

The results of the education questions in the Associates Survey told us: 
  • 94% are satisfied with the number of programs.
  • 59% want us to keep the same zoom/in person mix of programs (about 60% zoom to 40% in person); 22% want more zoom programs; 12% want more in person programs.
  • 62% would travel up to 20 miles for in-person programs; another 28% would travel up to 50 miles.

We will use this feedback as we plan future programs. Stay tuned for more VAMG/VAPGs coming this summer.  

The External Continuing Education team has reviewed over 100 educational events sponsored by other organizations since January. They approved 97 individual education events and 2 symposiums for CE credit. Three events requested for approval were not approved. 
External Programs
Karin Hawkinson

External Programming provides gardening information to the public through three programs, presented by members of the Speakers Bureau. The programs include:

Home Gardener Boot Camp: Boot Camp is a once-weekly online program that runs for 10 weeks. Welcome to our new Boot Camp Manager: Laurie Bebick! As a practicing fine artist, she approaches gardening as both an art and a science, always with an eye toward supporting nature’s creatures. When not working as a certified veterinary technician, Laurie can be found in her home garden, spying on and offering greetings to all the critters who visit, especially Wally the whistle pig who lives under her garage. Laurie is also a member of the Speakers Bureau, presenting on “Inviting Wildlife Into Your Garden.”

Gardening Know-How: Know-How consists of four weekly online presentations with sessions held four times a year. The Fall session starts August 9 and registration closes on August 5, so please alert your non-MG gardening friends! The topics will be:
  • Growing and Forcing Spring Bulbs
  • Caring for your Garden in Fall and Winter
  • Overwintering Tender Treasures
  • Growing Lawns and Lawn Alternatives

Speakers Bureau: Demand for presentations by the SB continues to increase. Since October, there have been 107 presentations, which is well over the total for last year. Moreover, because of the dedicated instruction provided by Lynne Larson and Christine Paxhia in our spring SB training class, four new speakers are close to joining the ranks of the Speakers Bureau!
Master Gardener Certification Program
Althea Wagman-Bolster
Update on the MGCP Class of 2023! 

The students have successfully completed the classroom portion of the program and are now actively working on completing their internships. They are a wonderful group of enthusiastic and dedicated people. The students were more than positive about the program this year which was led by Althea Wagman-Bolster, MGCP Coordinator and Julia Corbett, MGCP Leader. 

They had a very successful day at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill where they focused on learning the proper techniques for pruning. Their last class was divided into four labs; soil testing, plant diseases, planting a shrub and tool maintenance. Each of these sessions were led by the class assistants.

Several students have stated that they have felt more than welcome at each of their volunteer sites. We are sure that you all will continue to welcome them at your sites throughout their internships! Here are some pictures including a "class" picture taken from their pruning day at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. 

Jane McCloskey 
MGCP Homework and Exam Lead
Senior Principal Certified Master Gardener
Planting a Shrub
Plant Diseases
Tool Maintenance
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