Master Gardeners
When I read about the Paulding County Master Gardeners in the April 14, issue of West Bend News it struck a cord. I have been a member of the Allen County Indiana, Master Gardeners since 2009, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I was co-chair of the Leo Grabill Garden Club, for 13 years, when we disbanded because of Covid. We had many meetings with upward of 40 people, and many with over 100 people. Those were the days.
“Those were the days my friend, We thought they’d never end, We’d sing and dance forever and a day”
The head of the Master Gardeners was Ricky Kimmrey, the Allen County extension agent, but after he retired I did not remain an active member. Fort Wayne has a National Garden Club but I have never participated.
Our Master Gardeners gave lectures at the Fort Wayne Home and Garden Show and also sold seeds. We had two plant sales each year and other projects. One field trip was going to Meijer Gardens at Grand Rapids Michigan. That is quite a show and quite a garden.
If the Paulding County Group would like a day trip, the Master Gardener Gardens at Fort Wayne, Purdue campus, has 17 theme Gardens, and it is fun just to walk through and spend some time. It is on Indiana highway 37, which is an extension of Ohio highway 2.
The Leo area has a million dollar private Garden, 300 species of hostas, but the gentleman will not be taking groups a great deal longer.
If your group has never visited Strait Gate Nursery at Hicksville, you’re missing a treasure.
A fun day trip would be to The Grabill Candy Store, (H. Souder and Sons General Store,) One of the few General stores in existence. Ask Beth or Sasha at the candy store where the Grabill Secret Garden is. It is patterned after The Purdue Secret Garden, at the Lafayette Campus.
The Grabill Prairie has a 3/4 MI sidewalk encompassing a wetland with an abundance of wildflowers in summertime. The Purdue Secret Garden was put in in 1923, and was patterned after that the popular book “The Secret Garden,” By Francis Hodgkin, written in 1911. It is quite a read.
Looking back if you could plan events that young people might get interested in gardening. We had several children show up on my established flower gardens in Grabill. We got too old, you need to find a way to turn things over to the youth.
—James Neuhouser
