Master Gardener officers for 2003 were elected at the November 19 business meeting. Past officers were reelected. President - Siska Kallio; Vice President – Ann Tice; Secretary – Laura Jordan; Treasurer – Bette Hughes.

By-laws were voted on and approved.

Simon Rosenzweig received the Friend of Master Gardener Award at the Master Gardener Annual Meeting on November19. The Friend of Master Gardener award was developed to recognize people who are not officially Master Gardeners but give of their time and energy to make the Master Gardener program a success in Champaign County. Simon was recognized for his many hours of service at the Idea Garden.

Charlotte Brownfield, Bev Cotter, Beth Kawski, Sue Mauck, Gabriele Mayer, Bill Meyer, Marge Perry, Sarah Redd, Jim Simon and Ann Tice were commended for their service in the Idea Garden this year. The Golden Trowel award is a one-time award given to Master Gardeners that volunteer at least 30 hours (50 hours if intern) in one season at the Idea Garden. Award winners receive a certificate and aluminum trowel (hey, if it was really gold you wouldn't want to use it). It takes lots of people putting in many hours to make the Idea Garden the success it is. Overall this year 83 Master Gardeners reported volunteering 2,687 hours at the Idea Garden. What a beautiful accomplishment!

The Garden Walk Committee has made a couple major changes with our 2003 Garden Walk. The event will be Sunday, June 29 instead of our regular Father's Day date. This was changed because many of our workers want the day for Father's Day activities. The time has also been changed to 12:00 noon to 7 p.m. to accommodate workers that choose to be in church on Sunday mornings. Thus, this is a trial year to see if this is actually better for all of us.

So, please mark you calendars for the fifth Sunday in June! Your help is needed to make this another successful Garden Walk. We need another garden, so please, please, please offer yours or a neighbor's.

Next committee meeting is Thursday, January 23 at 10:00 am. Please join us!

- Jan Fisher and Ruth Walker, 2003 Garden Walk coch

Interesting Comments from the visitor register at the Idea Garden during 2002:

• "Very nice but you need a swing"-Taill, Norway
• "Really pretty! Nice escape from reality!"-Britnie, Naperville
• "Tenth visit-enjoyed."-S. Browning, Florida
• "I can't believe it, gorgeous! Thanks!"-Natalie, California
• "Resplendent!"-Sally, Danville
• "I like the tomatoes your beeting my Grandpa."
• "One of the most beautiful and peaceful places on this campus!"-Jennifer, Wheaton
• "Exciting, so many ideas to write down for next year! Great design."-Marj, Urbana
• "Thanks for the labels!! Appreciate your efforts."-Bonnie, Ohi
• "Breathtaking!"-Anne, Champaign
• "Wonderful assortment, wonderful fragrance."-Charles, Georgia
• "Me encanto el jardin esta bellizimo."-Ardemisa, Mexico
• "Looks beautiful with the raindrops on blooms."-Margie, Urbana
• "Sensory overload-but I loved it!"-Sue, Michigan
• "I am so proud of my Alma Mater."-Norma, New Jersey
• "Never seen anything like it. Beautiful!"-Capresha, Texa
• "Beautiful, better than the skillet cookie I just had!"-Elizabeth, Bellflower
• "Love the raspberries!"-Andrea, Champaign
• "Very tasty!!"-Japanese Beetle, Urbana
• "This place is so nice that I'm going to let my ride leave without me and sit here to read a book. It's worth the walk back."-Allan, Blue Island
• "The gardens never get old. I've been here 37 times, but I keep coming back!"-Chris, Champaign
• "I loved it. Very peaceful. Gave me great ideas." - Kristina, IL
• "Our children had fun in the garden."- Eric, Wisconsin
• "You have done well" E. H. , Texas
• "Tenth time we brought nieces here. Always nice." Rachel, IL

Congratulations to the 2001 and 2002 graduates who have completed their intern hours! Graduates will receive their certificates and nametags at the December holly day party.

Dick Baylor-2001, Ann Bentley-2002, Paula Blakley-2001, Chris Bochte-2002, Laura Beth Brinkley-2001, Charlotte Brownfield-2002, Bev Cotter-2001, Nancy Davidson-2001, Jimmie Nell Duden-2001, Sarah Graham-2002, Susan Grove-2002, Pat Guthrie-2001, Leslie Hitchens-2002, Jim Hoyt-2001, Phyllis Hughes-2001, Kelly Issa-Dyer-2002, Catrina Johnson-2001, Nancy Jones-2002, Gerri Kaha-2002, Karen Knight-2001, Rachel Manwell-2001, Sue Mauck-2001, Gabriele Mayer-2001, Becky McCain-2002, Bill Meyer-2001, Heather Miller-2002, Dottie Mooney-2002, Nancy Mulvany-2001, Susan Odle-2002, Marge Perry-2001, Katie Pomonis-2001, Sarah Redd-Illyes-2002, Ursula Reuter-Carlson-2001, James Simon-2002, Ruth Studley-2002, Barb Veach-2002, Kay Warfel-2002, Linda Weiner-2001, Rita Weisiger-2002, Paul Wells-2002, Lydia Wisegarver-2001, Sarah Wisseman-2002, Marge Workman-2002.

Introducing Jim Simon, MG class of 2002

Having your own in-house builder is something most gardeners would put on their "want" list. The Idea Garden is lucky in that several of our members have brought their structure building skills to the garden this year. One of them is Jim Simon. You would expect Jim to have some ability along this line as he graduated from the U of I with a bachelor's degree in architecture and a M.S. in architectural engineering. Jim was born in Champaign and spent his early years here before moving to Carbondale. He returned to Champaign to attend college and worked in Chicago for a few years after graduation. He came back to the UI to teach in 1966 and remained there until his retirement in 1998.

Jim proved that an interest in gardening might be in his future when he and his wife, Becky, spent part of their honeymoon touring Shaw's Garden and the climatron in St. Louis. Actually, Jim has probably absorbed some of his garden knowledge through his wife's side of the family. Becky's mother was a certified flower judge and her grandfather was a fruit farmer who helped to develop the Gage/Alberta peach.

In his own garden, Jim is especially interested in plant combinations, particularly concentrating on the scale of the plants and the three dimensional space around them. He says he likes all kinds of plants and doesn't concentrate on just one particular genus. When asked about his participation with the Master Gardener program, Jim said he really appreciates the diverse backgrounds and ideas of the gardeners he has come to know. Jim's commitment to the Strolling/Enabling section of the Idea Garden was recognized with his being named as one of the recipients of the Idea Garden's Golden Trowel Award.

Other interests that keep Jim busy are bike riding, swimming and sailing. His wife is a member of the Spinners and Weavers Guild and he uses his carpentry skills to help invent useful objects for them to display their wares on. He maintains his connection to the U of I by serving on various volunteer committees. Just prior to retirement, he gave a number of presentations for SURS to U of I employees on how to figure out the different retirement formulas. As for travel, Jim's favorite place is the mountains of Colorado. When you meet Jim, ask him to tell you about the "secret garden" on the U of I campus that he feels is a wonderful example of plants and design coming together to make a gratifying setting.

- Master Gardener President, Siska Kallio

Mark your calendars for University of Illinois Extension winter gardening series. It's a good way to learn more and get in your continued education hours. Fooling Mother Nature, Healthy Houseplants and Selecting Trees & Shrubs for the Home Landscape will be presented. Each program will be offered twice for your convenience.

Fooling Mother Nature presents tips and techniques to modify temperature, soil, light, or season to change plant growth. Would you like to serve homegrown lettuce for Thanksgiving, have tulips blooming in midwinter, and successfully grow tomatoes in your basement? If the answer is "yes," then Fooling Mother Nature is for you. Join Barb Larson, Horticulture Educator as she discusses the "tricks" clever gardeners and professional horticulturists use. Fooling Mother Nature will be offered twice for your convenience. Mark your calendars for January 14 at 7 p.m., or January 16 at 1:30 p.m..

Healthy Houseplants are what we all want. Now that winter is here, we really appreciate the lush, green accents that houseplants add to our homes. To have success growing houseplants, you need to provide the right growing conditions and give the plants basic care. You also need to know which plants will work the best in your home. To find out more, join Beth Smith, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, on January 28 at 7:00 pm, or on January 30 at 1:30 pm for Healthy Houseplants.

Selecting Trees & Shrubs for the Home Landscape can be a challenge. Trees and shrubs are the backbones of a well-landscaped garden. They can provide beauty throughout the four seasons. Their shapes, colors, flowers and fruits change with the seasons and years.

If you are interested in learning more about selecting the perfect trees and shrubs for your landscape, as well as some specifically recommended trees, plan on participating in Selecting Trees and Shrubs for The Home Landscape. The program will be on February 11, 2003 at 7:00 pm. It will be repeated on February 13 at 1:30 pm. David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture will teach the program from the Springfield Center.

There is no charge for the series. All three programs will be held at Extension auditorium using the University of Illinois Extension telenet system. If interested, please call Extension office to reserve a seat and packet of information.