the report
In September of 2005, the Garden Faire Planning Committee proposed to conduct the first Smart Gardening Faire under the auspices of the Monterey Bay Master Gardeners. The Committee included co-chairs Sheryl McEwan (’03) and Thomas Karwin (’99) along with Darby Kremers (’97), Martye Lumpkin (’01), Betsy Shea (’04), Gina Strup (’04) and Steve Tjosvold (UCCE).
The goals and objectives of the proposed Faire were as follows:
The overall goal of the Faire is to pursue the mission of the Monterey Bay Master Gardeners “to extend research-based horticultural informational and create and promote educational and recreational gardening activities in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.”
The specific objectives are to provide access to basic, up-to-date information about horticulture, and increase public awareness of local, gardening-oriented non-profit organizations and businesses that offer information and other resources needed to advance gardening practices.
The Board of Directors allocated $5,000 in support of the Faire and authorized the co-chairs, McEwan and Karwin, to take specified actions to present the Faire, with the condition that the Monterey Bay Master Gardener’s financial support be based on securing matching funds from other sources.
The Faire Planning Committee subsequently adopted a work plan, as outlined below:
1) Fall Quarter 2005: Initial Planning & Organization
2) Winter Quarter 2006: Recruit speakers and exhibitors
3) Spring Quarter 2006: Conduct Publicity Campaign; Arrange for Food Services; Book Acoustic Musicians, etc.
4) June 24, 2006; Conduct the Smart Gardening Faire
5) September 1, 2006; Report project to Sponsors.The Faire Planning Committee soon grew to include Paul McCollum (’04), Cynthia Jordan (’94), Simon Stapleton (’06), and Bonnie Pond (‘00).
By the day of the event, the following Master Gardeners volunteered in various roles to help put on the Faire. All the volunteers made essential contributions to the ultimate success of the Faire.
Paula Anthony (‘06)
Dan Bowman (‘06)
Chris Carrier (‘06)
Natalie Chambliss (‘00)
Sharon Ettinger (‘00)
Robin Hazard (‘98)
Melita Israel (‘95)
Roberta Jackson (‘06)
John Kiegelis (‘06)
Alicia Molina (‘04)
Mary Nosse (‘04)
Robin Sanders (‘95)
Amy Savage (‘06)
Randa Solick (‘06)
Tammy Tahara (‘06)
Judi Taylor (‘98)
Debra Van Bruggen (‘06)
Richard Wallstrom (06)
Rina Weingold (06)
Attendance
Estimates of attendance have ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 persons. Because admission was free of charge and the site was accessible from several directions, this range represents the best available data on attendance. Each hour, volunteers counted people who arrived through the primary entry to the Faire, and thus provided our most conservative estimate of attendance.
Guided Tours of the Nature Walk
A representative of the California Chapter of the Ecological Landscaping Association. landscaper Michael Kusiak, conducted three walking tours of the Nature Walk, which showcases the use of drought-tolerant native plants in the landscape. Each of these tours lasted 60-to-100 minutes in duration and attracted an average of twenty persons, including strangers, “newbies,” educated nursery folk and plant enthusiasts.
Plant labels funded by the San Lorenzo Valley Water District’s Educational Grant Program enhanced the experience of the visitors. In his report, Michael Kusiak made the following observations, “Many [of the visitors] were wowed by the garden. I see its popularity growing as a retreat and a resource for the community. People were impressed with the display.”
Speakers
The Faire presented ten very well qualified speakers on aspects of the “smart gardening” theme, with an emphasis on water conservation and landscaping with drought-tolerant native plants.
Barrie Coate – Consulting Horticulturalist, recognized as the premier tree and native plant specialist in California: Topic: Most Common Garden Problems
Christopher C. Elliott – Owner of Aqua Green Landscape Irrigation Co. and Instructor in Cabrillo College’s Horticulture Department: Topic: Water Conservation in the Garden Landscape
Monique Smith Lee – The “Bat Lady” has been rehabilitating bats for five years, working with the California Bat Conservation Fund: Topic: Bats - Our Friends in The Garden
Alrie Middlebrook – Head of Middlebrook Gardens, which has designed over 100 native plant gardens in California, and author, with Glen Keator, of California Natives in Style (coming in 2007): Topic: Create a Beautiful Natural Garden…and Stop Global Warming
Elizabeth Murray – Multi-talented artist and teacher, and author of Cultivating Sacred Space: Gardening for the Soul: Topic: Catching the Light: from Monet to Monterey Bay
Cynthia Sandberg – Owner of Love Apple Heirloom Tomato Farm, where she grows and sells over 100 different kinds of tomatoes: Topic: How to Grow Better Backyard Tomatoes
Robin Sanders & Judi Taylor – Lead members of Monterey Bay Master Gardeners’ Plant Propagation Team: Topic: Plant Propagation
Renee Shepherd, Ph.D. – Owner of Renees’ Garden, where she offers 240 varieties of specialty garden seeds, and author of three cookbooks: Topic: Easy Gardens for Busy People
Michele Swanson – Owner of CLTV8 Garden Design and recipient of several awards, including the People's Choice Award and a Gold Medal at the 2006 San Francisco Flower & Garden Show: Topic: Inside Your Outdoor Room - Designing Garden Rooms
Thomas Wittman – Founder of Gophers Limited, with over two decades of experience with non toxic pest control. Topic: Non-toxic Burrowing Rodent Control
Master Gardener Alicia Molina, the volunteer coordinator of speakers, praised the speakers: “They were professional, prepared, serious, playful, and completely enthusiastic!”
Audience response to the talks was also quite positive and attendance was good, as follows:
Morning Speakers (9:30 – 12:30)
Robin Sanders & Judi Taylor 20
Robin Sanders & Judi Taylor 30
Arlie Middlebrook 30
Barrie Coate 45
Afternoon Speakers (12:30 – 4:30)
Christopher Elliott 20
Thomas Wittmann 70
Monique Smith Lee 20
Cynthia Sandberg 20
Michele Swanson 20
Renee Shepherd 50
Elizabeth Murray 20
Expert Panel
In addition to hearing the prepared presentations, visitors to the Faire had the opportunity to ask their gardening questions of a panel of three local landscaping professionals, representing the Central California Chapter of the Ecological Landscaping Association. The panelists included Roxanne Evans, owner of Ecocentric Design Company; Brett Graf, Owner of Habitat Gardens; and Ken Foster, owner of Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping.
The audience of about twenty home gardeners kept the expert panelists busy with a series of questions on aspects of soil management, cultivation, irrigation, and control of pests and diseases.
Exhibitors
A wide variety of garden-related businesses and non-profit organizations participated in the Faire:
Plant Societies and Groups 5
Activities for Children 4
Education + Marketplace 16
Marketplace 23
Entertainment 3
Delicious Healthful Food 4
Total 55
For a full listing of the exhibitors, visit WHAT???.
The event provided the first local opportunity for these groups to join in raising public awareness of the importance of sustainable gardening and landscaping practices in protecting environmental health. We are currently in the process of inviting exhibitors to provide feedback on their experiences at the Faire, with the intention of identifying “what worked” and “what should be changed.”
Publicity
Shea-Campbell & Associates, Inc. orchestrated the Faire’s publicity campaign, which included wide distribution of a poster and a rack card.
Additional components of the campaign were as follows:
Metro Santa Cruz – (2) quarter-page display advertisements, June 7 & 14, 2006
Metro Santa Cruz – Smart Gardening Faire Supplement, with Program (Appendix C)
KSCO–AM – Rosemary Chalmers Interview of Master Gardener Cynthia Jordan
Santa Cruz Sentinel – Feature Article, June 22, 2006
Smart Gardening Faire Banner Display–Chamber of Commerce at Mount Herman Road, Scotts Valley (near the site of the Smart Gardening Faire).
Multiple Announcements in Newsletters of Local Garden Societies
In-person Presentations at Meetings of Local Garden Societies
Large-scale Mulch Grinding Demonstration
One of the highlights of the Faire was the demonstration by Vision Recycling of grinding organic waste into mulch. For the dramatic event, the company brought equipment they valued at $1,000,000: a truck transport that delivered raw organic waste and removed mulch; a loader; and a huge tub grinder.Tom Del Conte, owner of Vision Recycling, described the large-scale mulch grinding process to a group of fascinated home gardeners. He focused on the role of recycling organic materials in the pursuit of environmental protection objectives. The demonstration lasted only about twenty minutes. In that short time, the grinder reduced approximately fifteen tons of organic waste to mulch.
Sponsorships
The Monterey Bay Master Gardeners contacted selected local government agencies and garden-related businesses to invite their support of the Smart Gardening Faire. In all cases, our emphasis was on sponsorships or partnerships in the pursuit of common goals. We defined three levels of sponsorship in terms of categories that are widely used: Bronze ($100 – 499), Silver ($500 -999) and Gold ($1,000 and more)Gold Sponsors
City of Santa Cruz (in kind)
Metro Santa Cruz (in-kind)
Monterey Bay Master Gardeners
Scotts Valley Water District
Shea-Campbell & Associates, Inc. (in-kind)
Thomas Karwin & Associates (in-kind)
Vision Recycling (in-kind)Silver Sponsors
San Lorenzo Valley Water District
Bronze Sponsors
Corona Clipper
Ecological Landscaping Association (in-kind)
Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery
Goldsmith Seeds
Hines Horticulture
Jerry Allison Landscaping
Santa Cruz Garden Club
Scotts Valley Fire Protection District (in-kind)
Sierra Azul NurseryWe are very grateful to these agencies for providing timely financial or in-kind support for the Smart Gardening Faire. Their confidence in this first-time offering of the Faire enables it to grow into a resource for home gardeners, garden-related public and private organizations within the Monterey Bay region.
By working together, everyone wins!