Norfolk Master Gardeners
830 Southampton Ave., Ste 2069
Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1045
Planting Seeds for New Master Gardeners
Who inspired you to become a Norfolk Master Gardener?
Maybe it was a neighbor like Alice Hinsch (’15). In 2018, she spotted Kim Swecker pulling out privet in the yard of her new Colonial Place home. Alice introduced herself and while chatting with Kim introduced the idea of her becoming a Master Gardener. Since then, three Sweckers have become NMGs – Kim (’19), her son, Andrew (’19), and her husband, Mitch (’20).
Your gardening muse may have been a relative or long-time friend. Or, perhaps serendipitous encounters motivated you to apply for a training class as they did for Kim, Jammica Boone (’22), and me.
My random moment happened in 2019 when my husband, Ron, and I came to Maker’s Craft Brewery on the wrong night to meet his returned Peace Corps volunteer group. With no friends to visit with, we wandered over to watch two NMGs teach plant propagation. They invited us to join them and guided us through the basics of dabbing root hormone on jade leaves and planting them. In addition to talking about proper propagation, the friendly women asked if we were interested in becoming Master Gardeners.
We were happy to go home with new plants and knowledge. Turns out, I also went home with the idea of becoming a Master Gardener. Thanks to the volunteers getting my contact information, months later I received details about applying for the 2020 training class, which I did.
Note: If you were one of the plant-propagating NMGs at the brewery, please let me know so I can thank you.
Four random encounters inspired Jammica Boone to take the 2022 training class. She first heard of NMGs years ago from Keep Norfolk Beautiful staff members. They were praising Debora Mosher (’08) for leading the team that maintains the garden surrounding their office where Jammica volunteers.
Around 2017, Jammica met Paul “Ziggy” Ziegler (’13) and another NMG while pruning crape myrtles near Norfolk State University. Jammica works for EnviroPerks so “hands-on environmental volunteering was a good way for me to get more involved in my community,” she says.
Until the pruning event, “I had never held a pair of pruners ”Jammica recalls. “But, the men made me feel comfortable, taught me to prune and were so kind and cool.” They asked Jammica if she had thought of becoming a Master Gardener, and that question planted the seed in her head.
Note: Jammica would like to know the name of the other NMG who taught her about crape myrtle pruning so she can thank him.
Jammica’s third encounter was with Kim Swecker (’19) at a pollinator planting event in Colonial Place last year. Kim talked about Master Gardeners and encouraged Jammica to apply for the training class.
Jammica’s fourth encounter happened at the fall 2021 tree giveaway and plant sale at Lafayette Park, Jammica met Karen Wilson (’10), who was packing up leftover plants at the end of the event.
“This lady gave me a beautiful succulent in a wine glass to take home,” Jammica recalls. She also talked about Master Gardeners. By then, Jammica had applied for the 2022 class. Karen’s kindness reinforced her decision. When mentors were assigned to 2022 trainees, Jammica was paired with Karen and “instantly knew I had met her before and that she had given me the succulent on my window sill.”
Look around and you may spot potential candidates for future training classes. As ambassadors for NMG, we have the opportunity to help others understand what we do. And, you never know when a random encounter will inspire someone to apply for a training class.
Information sessions for the 2023 training class will be held via Zoom on September 20 and 21, and online training class applications will be available afterwards. They are due October 15. Here is signup information to share:
Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 2 p.m. https://bit.ly/Sept20session
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 7 p.m. https://bit.ly/Sept21session
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