Horticulture

On Sept. 26, Karen Sechler joined the University of Maryland Extension in Washington County as an Extension educator in horticulture.   She will teach classes and provide information to the community on a variety of horticulture and insect-related issues. She will also coordinate the county master gardener program.   Sechler was employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, at Fort Detrick, Md. With 15 years of research experience on a variety of fungi, plant diseases and plants, Sechler was most recently involved with a project studying the plant pathogen that causes sudden oak death.

Lori Young, local horticulture educator for the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, is leaving her post to resume work in the private sector. Young, who began working in the Washington County Extension office in September 2004, said she will be working for a company that helps adults with developmental disabilities. She said she previously worked for a vocational facility that supports adults with developmental disabilities in Frederick, Md. County Extension Director Lynn Little said Young has been "a tremendous asset to the community with her ability to work with people and her knowledge in horticulture.

Although she has a journalism/communications degree, Annette Ipsan said her green thumb began to itch about 10 years ago. So, she changed career direction rather dramatically. Among the new faces at the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension office at 7303 Sharpsburg Pike, Ipsan replaces Lori Young who about two years ago replaced veteran Sandy Scott as the Extension educator for horticulture. Ipsan, 45, grew up in Chambersburg, Pa., and now lives near Rohrersville with her husband and several cats.

Most people know that February is Black History Month. Many have heard of many famous and important contributors to the advancement of this great nation, such as Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and many others. However, my favorite man contributed immensely to our nation and his race. He was a pioneer and advocate of agriculture, and by the end of this article, I trust you will see his contributions all around you. One of my favorite Americans is George Washington Carver.  From inauspicious and dramatic beginnings, Carver became one of the nation's greatest educators and agricultural researchers.  From an early age, he developed a keen interest in plants.

CLEAR SPRING - What better way to get in the mood for spring then to attend an informational meeting on what it takes to become a master gardener Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at the L.P. Snyder Memorial Library? Sponsored by the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, the meeting will be conducted by Lori Young, horticulture educator. To register, call 301-842-2730. A master gardener is a volunteer educator who extends the services, programs and expertise of extension service to the general public.

I am saying goodbye to my position at Maryland Cooperative Extension. Friday will be my last day here and I want to thank the residents of Washington County for making my time as the Extension educator for horticulture an enjoyable experience. I would also like to thank the entire staff at the Extension office for their support and friendship. I have accepted a position in the human services field, a field in which I worked before working with Extension and to which I felt called to return.

Horticulture and business students at Washington County Technical High School will get a real-world lesson on how to keep profits growing after their greenhouse flowers bloom. "We run it as a business," said Steve Frame, who is environmental-horticulture and landscape-design teacher at Tech High. The refurbished greenhouse has operated as a nursery for seven years on school grounds. The students use the money they make to fund greenhouse operations. Entrepreneurship students sell what is grown.

The Washington County Master Gardeners will hold a plant sale Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center at 7303 Sharpsburg Pike in Boonsboro, six miles south of Hagerstown. The plant sale will feature hundreds of plants grown by Master Gardeners, including perennials, herbs, annuals, heirloom vegetables and native plants. A garden marketplace will feature new and used gardening books, tools, gifts, supplies and decorative items. Educational displays will feature free gardening fliers and information on salad boxes and tables, the Bay-Wise landscape management program and Master Gardener community projects.

If your New Year's resolution list includes volunteering and learning more about gardening and the environment, I encourage you to consider applying for admittance into the 2012 Washington County Master Gardener training program.   The program consists of a series of classes on botany, wildlife and other horticulture-related topics taught by current and former University of Maryland faculty and volunteers, as well as professionals in their specific fields.    The primary objective of the Master Gardener program is to educate people within the community about good horticultural practices.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Wilson College will offer a unique new class for the herb-lover or anyone who wants to learn about the many ways herbs can be used throughout the year, from cooking and decorating to medicinal uses and more. The first three classes in the "A Year of Herbs" series will be June 16, July 21 and Aug. 25. The Saturday classes will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Lortz Hall, Room 110. · June 16: Thyme will be the focus of this class. Students will explore thyme's history, cultivation and many uses in the kitchen.

McCrae Nicole Wright has been selected to represent the West Virginia Horticulture Society at the 86th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. Wright is a 2012 graduate of Martinsburg (W.Va.) High School, where she participated in Key Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She also was the historian of DECA and a cheerleader. Wright is a freshman majoring in general studies at Shepherd University. Wright was a princess at the 33rd Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival and has participated in dance since the age of 5. Wright is the daughter of Brenda and Brett Wright of Martinsburg and the granddaughter of Canna Crowell of Martinsburg and the late Robert Wright and Jean and John Phillips of Boonsboro.

Most people know that February is Black History Month. Many have heard of many famous and important contributors to the advancement of this great nation, such as Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and many others. However, my favorite man contributed immensely to our nation and his race. He was a pioneer and advocate of agriculture, and by the end of this article, I trust you will see his contributions all around you. One of my favorite Americans is George Washington Carver.  From inauspicious and dramatic beginnings, Carver became one of the nation's greatest educators and agricultural researchers.  From an early age, he developed a keen interest in plants.

If your New Year's resolution list includes volunteering and learning more about gardening and the environment, I encourage you to consider applying for admittance into the 2012 Washington County Master Gardener training program.   The program consists of a series of classes on botany, wildlife and other horticulture-related topics taught by current and former University of Maryland faculty and volunteers, as well as professionals in their specific fields.    The primary objective of the Master Gardener program is to educate people within the community about good horticultural practices.

On Sept. 26, Karen Sechler joined the University of Maryland Extension in Washington County as an Extension educator in horticulture.   She will teach classes and provide information to the community on a variety of horticulture and insect-related issues. She will also coordinate the county master gardener program.   Sechler was employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, at Fort Detrick, Md. With 15 years of research experience on a variety of fungi, plant diseases and plants, Sechler was most recently involved with a project studying the plant pathogen that causes sudden oak death.

Franklin County Master Gardeners will host their annual Autumn Stroll Sunday, Sept. 18, from noon to 5 p.m. in the Greater Waynesboro, Pa., and Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., areas.   Eight gardens will be featured this year, with a variety of sizes and styles. Rough and uneven landscaping might be encountered, so comfortable, low-heeled walking shoes are recommended. Tickets cost $10 per person and include site directions, garden descriptions and historical tidbits. Tickets are available for purchase at the Franklin County Extension Office, 181 Franklin Farm Lane in Chambersburg, by calling 717-263-9226 and at select garden centers.

 Avery Jordan Petrucci was honored Aug. 10 for her reign as the 2010-11 West Virginia State Horticultural Queen during a reception hosted by her parents, Tony and Tana, at their home on Collins Drive in Martinsburg. Avery's final official duty was to crown Jordan Elizabeth Butler as the new 2011-12 West Virginia State Horticultural Queen. Jordan lives in the Martinsburg area with her parents, Gregory and Jennifer Butler, sister, Ashton, and brother, Tyler. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Butler Sr. and the late Mr. and Mrs. Jennings "Dyke" Ashton of Martinsburg.

Horticulture and business students at Washington County Technical High School will get a real-world lesson on how to keep profits growing after their greenhouse flowers bloom. "We run it as a business," said Steve Frame, who is environmental-horticulture and landscape-design teacher at Tech High. The refurbished greenhouse has operated as a nursery for seven years on school grounds. The students use the money they make to fund greenhouse operations. Entrepreneurship students sell what is grown.

Is your green thumb itching to try something new? Do you love to learn and share what you know? Then you could be a Master Gardener. Master Gardeners are volunteer educators. They teach people safe, effective gardening techniques through plant clinics, talks, demonstration gardens and more. Trained by University of Maryland experts, Master Gardeners grow their gardening know-how through 40 hours of classroom training. They learn about everything from botany to bugs, pruning to propagation, and weeds to wildlife.

The Washington County Master Gardeners will hold a plant sale Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center at 7303 Sharpsburg Pike in Boonsboro, six miles south of Hagerstown. The plant sale will feature hundreds of plants grown by Master Gardeners, including perennials, herbs, annuals, heirloom vegetables and native plants. A garden marketplace will feature new and used gardening books, tools, gifts, supplies and decorative items. Educational displays will feature free gardening fliers and information on salad boxes and tables, the Bay-Wise landscape management program and Master Gardener community projects.

Hagerstown Community College's Center for Continuing Education is offering a vegetable gardening workshop series for students interested in learning how to grow their own vegetables and maintain their own garden. Taught by Washington County horticulture consultant and educator Sandy Scott, the two-hour workshop sessions will cover garden planning and maintenance, as well as harvesting and fall garden care. All courses are offered from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at HCC's Valley Mall Center.