Colorado Master Gardener℠ (CMG) volunteers are a dedicated group of individuals who are knowledgeable and passionate about sharing gardening, landscape and horticulture education. This month we are highlighting David Garner.

When and why did you join the Colorado Master Gardener program?

In the spring of 2018, my 5-year-old grandson told me he wanted to plant his own garden and wanted my help. So together we looked at several potential garden spots, and he selected one next to the house. He wanted to grow tomatoes, so he chose three plants. We prepared the soil, dug the holes, gave the plants their new home, and gave them their first of many healthy drinks of water. To make a long story short, his tomato plants flourished, grew bigger and bore more fruit than mine that were located only a scant forty feet away. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed that my grandson selected a better site, but I was more than a little proud! My little partner had picked his gardening spot where it would receive radiant heat reflected from the side of the house, with some afternoon shade-protection. His dedication to the consistent watering of his crop was a big plus!

That fall I applied and was accepted into the Colorado Master Gardener program, hoping to improve my gardening skills. I hoped that if I was able to influence my little grandson in such a positive way, with some actual training I could improve my own gardening abilities and help others as well.

My grandson is now eleven years old and just entered Middle School. Each spring he tells me which tomato plants he wants to grow during the summer. Then, together, we plan, prepare, and plant his tomato garden, which he waters with the same dedication and enthusiasm he did seven years ago. And with the same results!

What inspires you about the program?

Two things have especially appealed to me. The first is the diversity of Colorado Master Gardeners. CMGs range from college students to senior seasoned experts, and all levels in between. My fellow CMGs are former educators, CPAs, attorneys, medical professionals, business owners, and green industry employees. I find this diversity both exciting, refreshing, and personally, very educational!

The second inspirational feature is the constant emphasis on continuing education and the opportunities provided to achieve this. Many monthly webinars are provided by CSU Extension on a variety of horticulture subjects; local office training sessions are taught by local agents and other experts; CMGs are encouraged to be active in related horticulture and environmental organizations. There is so much to learn, given the constant changes in our environment and new research on horticultural topics. With 1000+ research-based online garden publications available from CSU Extension, we have all types of continuing education support provided. I often joke that “I actually have a perfect memory – it’s just awfully short!” Thus, I strive to improve my own gardening abilities and to accurately respond to the many horticultural questions asked of me as a Colorado Master Gardener!

What have you learned that you didn’t know before?

So much to do and so little time! I began by learning the preferred terminologies. For example, no longer is dirt, dirt. It is now soil. My former lawn has suddenly become turf; and that bush over there is now a shrub!

After I mastered the basic terms, I moved on to admire the wisdom and knowledge contained in accepted gardening maxims. For example, for perennial gardening – 1st year sleep, 2nd year creep, 3rd year leap; for container gardening – thriller, filler, spiller; for vegetable gardening – succession planting; and, of course, horticulture’s greatest tenet – right plant, right place!

Currently I’m working on learning the Latin names for the herbaceous flowering plants growing in my garden beds. The variety of common names used to identify the same plant is very confusing, especially if I’m trying to find a match for a specific plant. As I said, so little time!

My vegetable garden consists of 7 rhubarb plants, 27 strawberry plants, pole beans, cucumbers, squash, and, oh yes, 10 tomato plants. And that’s it! My herbaceous flowering plant beds are more involved due to my recent interest in growing perennials native to the Great Plains Eco-region, our Colorado Front Range, and my own Arapahoe County zip code. I am specifically targeting native host and keystone plants that will benefit pollinators. I have a special interest in plants that are favored by hummingbird moths. At the moment, many of the plants are unimpressive having been recently planted, but as with every gardener, I have hope! After seven years of CMG education and trial and error in my own garden, I’m pleased to be a master gardener who works the soil and the friendly neighborhood gardener who simply enjoys playing in the dirt!

Other thoughts to share with the public

After grad school, I taught high school vocal music for 10 years. My wife, who is also a musician, and I bought a retail music store, which we managed for the next 29 years. Why do I mention this? Few master gardeners may consider themselves active participants in the field of the fine arts, and we vary greatly in our gardening approaches, styles, and goals. However, all gardeners are artists and performers. And why is that? It is said “gardening is considered to be the s-l-o-w-e-s-t of the performing arts!”

To my fellow master gardeners, s-l-o-w-l-y stand up and take a bow!