Page 81 - Abilene Living

offce, which held one of the trial locations for Earth-kind roses in 1997. The Earth-Kind program through the Texas AgriLife Extension Service did twenty six trial sites in the state. Different types of roses were planted and monitored for their resilience. The roses that thrived in the study were given the Earth-Kind for planting in Texas climate zone or higher. The Master Gardeners have been chosen again to participate in the newest Earth-Kind trials.

“Nothing is concrete, but we think it’s a pretty good chance that they want us to start the frst ever perennial Earth-Kind garden trials here,” said Feagan. “We would plant the plants and basically watch over them. You don’t want anyone coming in there and doing anything to them like fertilizing them, because the whole idea is they replicate these plants. So this trial is to fnd out what happens if you do just stick them in the ground with some mulch, hardly any water and

absolutely no fertilizer. The whole idea is the Earth-Kind plant takes care of itself.”

“One of the things Earth-Kind is about is being as organic as you can,” explained Cheryl McCormick, six year Master Gardener and 2010 Master Gardener president. “The best thing about Master Gardeners is to help people understand how important it is to be a good steward of the land. We don’t have unlimited resources, in water, soil, space and air. We need to do the right things to keep the Earth for the next generations. I think that’s what Master Gardeners is trying to convey to people, that there’s a way to do this, we don’t have to be striping the earth of everything. We can add so much to it.”

McCormick, together with six year Master Gardener Rich-ard O’Shields, teach gardening fundamentals to a group of Junior Master Gardners at the Nelson Boys and Girls club in

“The best thing about Master Gardeners is to help people understand how important it is to be a good steward of the land.”

[Cheryl McCormick]

Master Gardeners working the Home & Garden booth (Richard Brennan, Gene Shelhamer, Fred Perkins). To the right are Junior Master Gardener leaders Cheryl McCormick and Richard O’Shields with one of their Junior Master Gardeners (who helped at the booth)