Locals Earn Master Gardener Status
Mary Barfield, Claudia Brown, Deanie Craft and Wanda Moore graduated from the Howard County Master Gardener Program May 20 in Big Spring. The program is sponsored by the Texas Cooperative Extension Service and requires 50 hours of instruction, plus another 50 hours of volunteer work in horticulture-related community service.
Glasscock County 4-H has a junior master gardener program with more than 30 participants, headed by Master Gardener Andrea Hillger.
Master Gardener volunteers assist county extension agents by helping citizens with agriculture and horticulture. They answer phone questions, conduct plant clinics, work with Junior Master Gardener programs, give talks to groups, judge flower shows, conduct demonstrations, plan, organize and implement community beautification projects and teach and promote environmentally sound programs such as waste reduction and water conservation which deal with water usage in the landscape.
As part of their community service, Glasscock County master gardener trainees have planted a flower bed at the First Baptist Church in Garden City and have worked with the junior group on several occasions. In Howard County, master gardeners have done work at the Heart of the City Park, the Howard County Library, Howard County Courthouse, and projects at various elementary schools.