Standard Examiner Home & Garden Show this Weekend

Who's going to attend the Home & Garden Show this weekend at the Weber County Fairgrounds?  I am.  Susie is going to be there as well.  I hope that see many of you there too!  Not only can you watch the shammy guy clean up a mess, you can renew your newspaper subscription, and listen to Susie and I talk about growing some great veggies this upcoming year.

Thanks to all those who will be helping us at the Master Gardener booth by answering questions and sharing with the public our great program at the Ogden Botanical Gardens.  Our Master Gardeners truly are the best!  See you at the Home & Garden Show this weekend.
Kathy has lined up some really great speakers and they will be talking about some other fun gardening topics.  Here is the lineup:

STANDARD-EXAMINER

Home & Garden Show

GARDEN SPEAKER SCHEDULE

Friday, March 2, 2012

4:00 p.m.  Who Hid the Veggies?  Edible Landscaping

Pat Westaway, Weber County USU Ext.Master Gardener

5:00 p.m.  Creating Beautiful Containers for a Colorful Landscape

Kim Hunter, Country View Nursery Owner

6:00 p.m.  Perennial Choices for Color, Foliage & Interest Barney Barnett, Willard Bay Gardens Owner

7:00 pm  25 Great Deciduous Trees for the Wasatch Front

Katie Wagner, USU Extension Horticulturist, Salt Lake Co.

                                                                                                                                                           

Saturday, March 3, 2012

2:00 p.m.  Waterwise Isn’t Just Desert and Rocks

David Rice, Conservation Program Coordinator, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District

3:00 p.m.  Gardening with Kids

Adrienne Plicka, Weber County USU Ext. Master Gardener

4:00 p.m.   Successful Tree Planting in Northern Utah

Kim Hunter, Country View Nursery Owner

5:00 p.m.  Tips & Tricks for Growing Great Veggies Dorinda Jones & Susie Jones,Weber County USU Extension Ogden Botanical Gardens

   

Thanks for coming to the Seed Exchange

The Seed Exchange at the Ogden Botanical Gardens on February 17th was a huge success and we had a great turn out. 

Thanks to all who came and participated in the mini workshops about seed starting and those who took part in the seed exchange. 

It was fun to meet a lot of new gardeners and to get excited about the upcoming gardening season.  I was able to "score" some new veggie and flower seeds that we are going to plant in our raised bed gardens this spring.  There was a cute table display of  "flower bombs" made by Anika.  I thought they were so cute I had to take a picture.  Check it out.  I love young entraprenuers, especially when they are gardeners too!

We hope to continue having this event each year at the gardens.  It is a great way to kick start the gardening year!  Thanks to Gregg and David for organizing and putting the seed exchange together.

Seed Exchange

Gardeners it's time to come out of hibernation!  Mark your calendar for our first event of the year!

I'm excited to announce that we will be hosting the "Ogden Seed Exchange" at the Ogden Botanical Gardens on Saturday, February 18th from 11am-1pm.  This is your chance to come share and receive new flower and veggie seeds with other gardeners. Even if you have no seeds to exchange please come.  You will not go home empty-handed.  There will also be a few seed starting classes before the exchange.

Colorado Rockies Wildflower Tour 2012

Join us Aug. 8-11, 2012 in Colorful Colorado

4 Days & 3 Nights of Fresh Air and FUN!

We'll fly to Denver...

..then we'll take a motorcoach to Fort Collins

Visit beautiful gardens such as the Denver Botanical Gardens,

Gardens on Spring Creek, and Colorado State University Trial Gardens

 Experience Rocky Mountain National Park

 With your favorite guides

 Relax at the luxurious Fort Collins Hilton

 Enjoy the sights and sounds of this quaint college town

 Stroll the charming streets of Estes Park

 Enjoy Dinner Theater at it's finest one evening as well..

Sign up today!

We can hold your spot with a $100 deposit and 

your 2012 membership renewal

$795 *

 

*Price is per person/double occupancy

**Estimated price is based on current fuel prices-subject to change. Airline tickets cannot be secured until January 2012

For more information please call or email Stacie Stone at (801) 451-3403.

Two Completed Eagle Scout Projects in One Week

This week were lucky enough to have 2 Eagles Scout groups at the Gardens working on their projects.  Both projects are wonderful additions and have beautified the Gardens. 
On Saturday, October 15th the first Eagle Scout project was led by Justin Cottle.  He and his family along with his troop installed tree identification signs in our Power Line Arboretum, which is located north of the building along the walking path.  There were a total of 15 signs made and installed.  They turned out so nice and will greatly help us to educate our visitors about which trees should be planted under power lines. 

The trees and shrubs will grow to about 15-25 feet tall--making them the perfect size where height is limited. 

Each sign gives the common name, botanical name, height, width and hardiness zone.

On Thursday, October 20th Seth West and family installed 2 newly constructed park benches under our crab apple grove. 

The West Family with Tami Smith (Master Gardener).

Seth and his 2 younger brothers--all Boy Scouts built the redwood benches at their home and installed them at the Gardens. 

Working on the fence rails and posts.

They also repaired our wood fence rails and posts which are around the perimeter of the Gardens. 
We want to thank our Eagle Scouts for all their hard work in preparing their projects and carrying them out.  We are grateful to be the recipients of such great workmanship!
We are always looking for boy scouts who need an Eagle Scout project.  If you know of anyone who is interested in helping us out at the Gardens, please leave me a message at (801) 399-8081 or email me. Thank you Justin and Seth for completing your Eagle Scout projects at the Gardens.  We know that many people will be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Apple and Cheese Tasting

Our Apple and Cheese Tasting will be Thursday, October 13th from noon-2pm.  This is one of the funest and most delicious event of the year!  Did I mention that it's free?  Well it is--so bring the whole family and all your friends.  

We will have many different apples that are locally grown to sample along with some tasty artisan cheeses from  Beehive Cheese.  

We will also have samples of pumpkin pie ice cream from Poppin' Johnny's.  

Lavender Hill will be here as well.  They will we will scooping their own Lavender Lemon ice cream and they will be selling their famous Lavender Lemon Cookies and Lemonade here also.

Join us to sample Utah's finest artisan cheeses and loclly grown apples, the perfect combination for a perfect way to the end the season.  You might even find which variety of apple is your favorite to plant in your own yard!

If you can't make it to the Ogden Botanical Gardens from noon to 2pm, we will have samples at the Kaysville Farmer's Market located at the USU Botanical Center from 5-6 pm. 

Look How Things Have Changed

I was trying to clean off my desk today--I know what was I thinking?  Anyway, I came across some pictures that were taken in 2006, the first year we started working at the Ogden Botanical Gardens.  I was shocked to see how much everything has changed.  The Gardens have seen a lot of improvements in the past five years and I'll show you some pictures to prove it.
Here is the area that we call the Outdoor Classroom.

 Last year our Master Gardeners helped us put in the beautiful walkway of crushed red rock and we also installed a dry stack wall around our flower beds.  We got rid of the windblown chokecherry and desolate jellybean island.  Quite the improvement--don't you think?

 Before we had a bark path and now we have a nice rock pathway.  Last spring these lovely steel arbors were installed.  One of our talented Master Gardeners designed and welded the arbors.  They are a great entrance into our Outdoor Classroom.

 Isn't it amazing what some pretty flowers, a rock wall and pathway can do to a drab existing landscape?

 I hope that you have enjoyed the changes here at the Ogden Botanical Gardens.  We love how all the hard work from staff and Master Gardeners has made our gardens so beautiful year after year.   We hope that we will continue to beautify each and every garden here.  Let's see what will happen in the next five years?