How do their gardens grow: Mississippi's Master Gardeners enjoy sharing their expertise with amateur growers.

On a cold, damp mid-December morning, while most people were making preparations for holiday family gatherings of buying Christmas gifts, 20 of so men and women were watching a slide show featuring native Mississippi wildflowers at the Clinton Community Nature Center, often a meeting place for Master Gardeners who live in central Mississippi. What brought this dedicated group out to learn more about gardening in our state? Quite simply, a love for beautiful flowers and plants, a fascination with gardening, and a desire to gain more knowledge about what it takes to make things grow and flourish prompt the Master Gardeners to gather at least once a week nearly all year long to work on projects in almost every county in Mississippi.

The Master Gardeners, a group of more than 1,200 volunteers in Mississippi, spent more than 38,000 hours last year helping others learn more about gardening and maintaining various gardening projects around the state. Already a viable program in Canada, the first United States Master Gardener program began in 1972 in the state of Washington when a county extension agent, overwhelmed by the many requests for information about gardening, formulated the idea of having volunteers help the public with gardening by holding workshops and training sessions. The idea spread to other states, and in 1991, the Master Gardening program began in Mississippi. It now extends to over 40 counties.

Throughout the state, training programs for would-be Master Gardeners are offered year-round. Certified Mississippi State Extension Service horticulturalists usually teach these training sessions, most of which involve 40 hours of training. Topics such as soils and fertility, basic botany, propagation, ornamentals, fruit, vegetables, and nuts are covered using slides, and some walk-through tours of various experiment stations are offered. After completing the course and passing a written test, each "intern" must give back to the community 40 hours of volunteer work during the first year before becoming a certified Master Gardener. Volunteer work is completed at certified projects throughout the state. During the second and following years, new Master Gardeners are required to complete 20 hours per year of volunteer work. Most give far more than the required amount.

"The program is one of the most important and most popular programs for people who are interested in gardening," said Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly, assistant extension professor at the Mississippi State Extension Service and director of the Mississippi Master Gardener program. "It gives them the opportunity to get gardening training and to share information with other people."

Many interesting projects around the state give Master Gardeners lots of options when earning their certified hours. In central Mississippi, some of the most popular are an herb garden behind the old doctor's office at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, a sensory garden at the Mississippi School for the Blind and the Deaf, a perennial garden at the Clinton Community Nature Center, a butterfly garden at Mynelle Gardens, and the antique roses growing at the Greenwood Cemetery on North West Street in Jackson. In October each year, many Master Gardeners in the central part of the state volunteer to lead tours at the Crystal Springs gardening exposition. In addition, the Hinds/Copiah group has recently funded a scholarship for a deserving student enrolled in the horticulture program at Hinds Community College.

"Our goal is to help our area horticulture agent with projects in our counties," said Margaret Barron, newly elected president of the Hinds and Copiah County Master Gardener group. "We have a good, knowledgeable group of Master Gardeners, but we need to add to our group to meet the needs of Hinds and Copiah Counties."

In northwest Mississippi, Master Gardeners are in the planning stages of an outdoor project that would involve the creation of an arboretum. The Master Gardeners are working with the community and a college to landscape and choose the various plants to be used.

On the Gulf Coast, Master Gardeners have created a home horticultural hotline for five counties, through which these gardening experts field questions from the public, The group also offers educational projects in conjunction with the area Home Extension Service.

Not all gardening ideas become certified projects, however. Dr. Drew Bates, area horticulturist for Hinds County, explained the qualifications for an approved Master Gardener project. "There are three categories which the future project must meet: it must be educational, it must be open to the public, and it has to be horticultural in nature." Master Gardener officers in each county meet on a regular basis to discuss potential projects.

The Master Gardener program also offers events throughout the year for gardeners to gel together for fun and for opportunities to learn about new plants and innovations in the field of gardening. This year, on May 14 and 15, the Tri-State Master Gardener Conference for Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi will take place in Memphis. Nationally known gardening speakers will address topics such as perennial gardening, reviving the front yard, roses in Southern gardening, and creative container gardening. In late June, a group of Southern Region Master Gardeners will board a cruise to the Xcaret Natural Park on the Yucatan Peninsula to view 136 varieties of rare orchids. Throughout the cruise, educational gardening specialists from the South will teach selected seminars. On September 24 and 25, Master Gardeners will meet in Tupelo for their annual convention, which will be held in conjunction with the Verona Fall Exposition.

HOW DO THEIR GARDENS GROW?

Further training is offered for veteran Master Gardeners who are interested in gaining more knowledge and becoming certified trainers themselves. In December 2003, several Master Gardeners gathered for these seminars in distance learning centers in Raymond, Hattiesburg, Stoneville, and Verona. The goal of this continuing education program is to expand the pool of qualified Master Gardener instructors by employing volunteers who have expertise and teaching skills in one or more gardening topics.

Supplementing the renowned Master Gardening program, a Junior Master Gardening program was begun three years ago in cooperation with the state youth 4-H program. 4-H agents work with some 1,500 children in this relatively new program. Last fall, many of these young people helped to create an elaborate trail featuring 40 scarecrows within the botanical garden at the North Mississippi Garden Exposition.

"The value of the Master Gardener program can be seen throughout the state and in your local community," said Teresa Sanders, Hinds County director of the state Extension Service. "They provide support to numerous service projects, from community and school gardens to planning clinics and exhibits at fairs, conducting horticulture tours, and speaking to local civic and school groups. The role of the Master Gardeners is to share their gift for gardening through educational programs that enhance the public's knowledge of consumer horticulture."

Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Call your local Cooperative extension office and ask to speak to the area horticulturalist. Training is usually offered bi-annually.

For Gulf Coast area residents, the Garden Talk Extension Hotline, 1-866-GARDEN-8, offers help with gardening questions Mon.-Tues. and Thurs.-Fri., 9 a.m.-noon. Those in the Hattiesburg area can call the Pine Belt Master Gardener Hotline at 601/583-7521 Mon., Wed,, and Fri., 9 a.m.-noon. North Mississippi residents can call the Home Hortline at 1-888-920-HORT Mon., Wed., and Thurs., 9 a.m.-noon, beginning April 1.