Attention, Nature Lovers!

Bloomer's garden walk to benefit nature center

 

The Bloomer’s Garden Club, Harbor Beach, is sponsoring its first-ever garden walk, featuring sites in Harbor Beach, Port Hope and Bad Axe. The walk is set for Saturday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets may be purchased in advance at The Corner Store, Harbor Beach; The Flower Farm, Bad Axe; and North Shore Grocery, Port Hope. They also can be purchased on the day of the event at these businesses or at the residences in the walk. Proceeds from the walk will go to the Huron County Nature Center Wilderness Arboretum, located at 3336 Loosemore Road, near Oak Beach, for improvements to a recently-acquired educational facility.

The gardens in the walk are: the home of Ann Schubring, 7251 Filion Road, Port Hope (located in a patch of woods trimmed to allow sunlight to enter the garden); the home of Judy and Allen McTaggert, 6375 Kinde Road, Port Hope (includes a pond, fondly named, "Lake Judy"); the home of Evelyn Gainor, 4360 2nd Street, Port Hope (boasts more flowers per square foot than any other garden in the county); the home of Jan Wright, 2390 N. Lakeshore, Harbor Beach (a hodgepodge of favorite perennials growing in shaded areas, with vegetables and herbs planted here and there); and the home of Larry & Fran Kanaby, 3455 E. Richardson Road, Bad Axe (includes a walk through the woods, a pond, a rock stream, a gazebo and Bonsai trees).

Huron County Rose Tour taking reservations

A Rose Tour of Huron County is being sponsored by the Thumb Rose Society on Sunday, Aug. 8. The general public is invited to attend.

The tour will begin at the Medical Care Facility Rose Garden, 1116 S. Van Dyke Rd., Bad Axe, at 12:30 p.m.

Carpooling is being encouraged.

After visiting the Medical Care Facility Rose Garden, participants will tour five gardens belonging to: Evelyn Gainor, Port Hope; Larry & Fran Kanaby, Verona; Jim & Carol Holtrop and Ken & Brenda Church, both in Kinde; and Chuck & Paula Brunell, Harbor Beach. Maps will be provided to the gardens. The tour will begin in Bad Axe and will end in Harbor Beach with a potluck dinner at Chuck & Paula Brunell’s home.

Tour participants will have an opportunity to see different styles of gardens and they will also be able to ask questions of the homeowners. There will be no charge for this tour but donations will be accepted with funds going toward the rose garden at the Medical Care Facility.

Call Jim at 989-269-7154 or Carol at 989-553-2992 for details and to make your dinner reservations. Master Gardeners offers financial incentive

The Huron County Master Gardeners are offering an incentive of $100 to Huron County residents who complete the Master Gardener course and the 40 hours of volunteer work during the first year.

Volunteer hours are fulfilled by working on projects such as the Spring Into Gardening Conference, the Perennial Plant Sale, the Garden Walk, and the Fair Booth. Hours also are earned by answering homeowner calls, working on grants, volunteering in local public gardens, writing articles and news releases and attending monthly meetings. After the first year, Master Gardeners must complete five class hours and 15 volunteer hours to stay certified.

The course this year will be held in Sandusky at the MSU Extension office on the Saturdays from Sept. 11 through Oct. 16, 2010 from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each Saturday.

In addition to the incentive, each Huron County student is eligible to receive a $25 gas card upon completion of the course.

The course is being taught by highly-qualified teachers who inspire an interest in all the areas of gardening from soil science to plant growth and garden design.

For details, contact Carol Holtrop at 989-553-2992, or holtropc@gmail.com, or stop by the MG fair booth (next to the Sheep Barn) at the Huron Community Fair, which runs July 26-31.