from the GGMG president... Rewards for GGMG Volunteers
GGMGs work – hard! – all year on our various projects, educating the public and educating ourselves to support our mission of augmenting Clemson’s Extension programs. There are also big rewards built in to our programs. Did you happen to travel with us to Athens Georgia in May? It was just a trip, yes, but one that pulls together so much of what makes GGMG a thriving entity. A coach trip may sound mundane, but our short excursions offer much more enrichment than a mere bus ride! Trip days are educational. By viewing other gardens (such as the Georgia Botanical Garden and the garden of Coach Vince Dooley), you are able to see familiar plants in a different setting. As you study the unfamiliar gardens, you can review the principles of good landscape design - and compare what you are seeing to what you have learned, widening our perspective and understanding. And do not discount our conversations and discussions - they, too, are informal learning. Visits to “new” plant nurseries introduce us to plants we know only slightly and to less familiar cultivars, reminding us of the needs of that particular plant. There is a potential “downside,” though; such visits do tend to increase the credit card balance! Rarely do we have a chance to have a face-to-face visit with legends of horticulture. To trail after an ebullient, deeply knowledgeable Allan Armitage in his test garden (AKA lab!) is a learning opportunity no book or Internet reading can match. Being so close to such well-versed plantsmen/women is a chance to resolve horticultural mysteries – and be confident that the information is well grounded in research. And, sometimes, if one is really lucky, one can even get a legend to autograph a book or two! Do you have any vacancies in your landscape? Visits to nurseries provide great chances to fill those gaps with just the right plant for your location – and perhaps fill it with a cultivar that is especially attractive and/or unusual. Had you seen our well-loaded bus pulling into Greenville filled with greenery (from small pots of perennials to shrubs and even a 10’ tree!), you would know that empty spots no longer exist in the gardens of the GGMGs who attended! Oh, and, yes, the good times. Transit times provide GGMGs with one of few opportunities to enjoy extended, leisurely visits – periods when one can learn about our fellow gardeners in dimensions that are only revealed when there is sufficient time. We know more about each other and learn our gardening preferences. Travel time enables us to hear about each other’s families and probe other interests. We can even see possibilities – where else we might fit into GGMG leadership slots, for example. GGMG’s mobile conversations often and inevitably evolve into laughter, a shared laughter that relaxes and refreshes. Reward yourself! Plan to join us on our next GGMG gardening trip! It is a travel choice you will not regret. Karen |
2010-2011 GGMG Membership Renewal: |
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2010-2011 GGMG Speakers Bureau - Provides certified Master Gardener volunteers to speak and provide programs for civic groups and schools. Click here for more information (pdf format). |
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| Log-in to the Member Center to: • Link to Clemson MG Volunteer Time- Input • View Archived GGMG Newsletters "Grapevine" • Checkout information for Laptop/Projector • GGMG Member Contact Information, etc... |
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in Greenville, SC.
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