WOOSTER, Ohio -- "Harvesting the Past, Sowing the Future" marks the theme for the Ohio Master Gardener Conference, an event that attracts more than 400 state Master Gardeners each year.
The event, held Oct. 22-23 at the Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Fisher Auditorium and Arden Shisler Center, is highlighted by a presentation by First Lady Hope Taft during the Oct. 22 awards banquet.
Taft will give a presentation on the Ohio Heritage Garden, a series of gardens recently dedicated at the Governor's Residence that represent all of Ohio's eco-regions.
Events on Oct. 22 will also include tours that focus on horticulture and gardening. Such tours will include visits to rural areas in Wayne and Holmes Counties, public garden tours and tours centering on commercial horticulture.
The second day of the conference is comprised of a plethora of presentations including topics on container gardening, herbs, emerald ash borer, perennials, invasive plants and beneficial insects.
The Master Gardener Conference also kicks-off the creation of the Ohio Master Gardener Endowment, designed to fund a full-time state coordinator.
"We always had a state Master Gardener advisory committee which met twice a year to discuss policy, awards and create manuals," said Mary Maloney, Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum education coordinator and a member of the Ohio Master Gardener advisory committee. "But we felt we needed a leader, someone at the state level to move this program forward into the future. We are an enthusiastic group of Master Gardeners dedicated to the programs and avocation of horticulture. There is such a great potential there for this drive to be completely successful."
The goal of the endowment is to raise $2 million over a three-year period to fund the position indefinitely.
The Ohio Master Gardener Conference will be hosted by the North District Master Gardeners.