Travel within 100-150 miles
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Sandra Wilkins
7469 Hunters Ridge, Jackson, MI 49201
(517) 536-4304
(517) 414-0885
email: SandyWilkins@yahoo.com
Preferred contact method: either phone or email
Amount I charge: mileage and accommodations
Travel: 2-3 hours from Jackson
Presentation Topics:
Art in the Garden
Discover the artist in you. We will look at art as a verb and explore the way we use art in our gardens and in our everyday world.
Landscaping and Beyond - The Right Stuff and a Little Fluff
How do you take a little corner of the world and make it uniquely yours? How can the landscape best compliment your home and yet, reflex your individual personality? [A two hour power point presentation encompasses lots of basic principles, techniques and illustrations.]
Flip This Garden
When a garden is in its infancy or after seasons of time - it will need a flip. Lots of before and after pictures on how to make dramatic changes to your landscape.
Chores, Challenges and Celebrations
A year in the garden. A month by month study at what needs to be done in the ornamental garden, the difficulties encountered, and the great joy we receive.
The Heartbeat of the Garden
What makes one garden unique and different from another? If gardener’s use the same basic principles of landscape design, why don’t they look the same? The answer lies in the heartbeat. We will look at several different gardens in this PowerPoint lecture and discover what the heartbeat of the garden really is.
How to Keep Your Dream from Becoming a Nightmare
Common mistakes and how to avoid them.
The Icing
A study of art objects and their uses in the landscape garden.
Gardening for the Sense of It!
The more senses employed the more profound the experience! We will look at gardening using all the senses, including some you may not have thought about.
More than just Curb Appeal
A look at what curb appeal really is, how it has developed, ways to make our own better, plus some fun driveways to critique together.
The Universal Language and Some of My Favorite Conversations
Plants around the world, botanical gardens, natural niches around the world.
On the Street where you Live
The history of gardens and our love affair with them.
Gardening Education: numerous classes on all levels
Gardening Experience: The Wilkins are avid shade gardeners. Sandy and her husband, Jim have designed and planted 3.5 acres east of Jackson, MI. They love working in the gardens and especially sharing it with friends. Their garden was featured on the local television series, “Where we Live”, the American Hosta Society National Convention, International Conifer Society Tour, highlighted in the Michigan Gardener magazine, and has hosted many other events and garden tours annually.
Sandy has been past president of Indianapolis Hosta Society, vice president of the American Hosta Society, regional director AHS Great Lakes Region, mother of the Hosta College, an annual event hosting 500 gardeners, founder and past president of Garden Lovers of Jackson, as well as Christian speaker and garden lecturer.
Sharing not only her own garden, but her enthusiasm and love of gardening in general, Sandy has also, through personal consulting and PowerPoint lectures, taken great joy in sharing that love and knowledge with others.
A picture paints a thousand words, they say. If so, these programs are power packed with words! Actually, lot of pictures, ideas, fun and perhaps a different way of looking at the garden all around us.
Louise Shoksnyder
3790 Hiawatha Trail, National City, MI
989-469-4089
989-984-7434
email: Louise446@aol.com
Preferred contact method: Email
Topics:
Butterfly and/or hummingbird gardening
Bulbs - spring and summer
Container Gardening
Perennial Gardening
Gardening Education: Advanced Master Gardener with many hours of continuing education. Master Gardener training in 1994 in Oakland County.
Gardening Experience: Gardening since childhood, worked as a professional gardener from 1997-2005
Garden Clubs: Rochester Branch Woman's National Farm & Garden, Tawas Bay Garden Club
What I charge: $25-$30
Travel: - No fees for travel. Will travel as far west as Lansing and also willing to travel to the Detroit area.
Other information: President, Sunrise Side Master Gardener Association, Inc., Speaker's Bureau - Oakland MSUE - 1995-2005, Speaker's Bureau - Sunrise Side Master Gardener Association - 2006-Present, English Teacher who has also worked as a substitute, Michigan Division President Woman's National Farm & Garden Association.
Not available from January to mid-April.
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Name: Meme Williamson
Email Address: melodysw@aol.com
Address: 336 Broadway #588
Home Phone: 6307304168
Business Phone:
Mobile Phone: 6307304168
Best Way to Contact Me: Email
Topics I Speak About: Bulb Forcing
Best Flowering Bulbs for Michigan Gardens
Tulips - perennials or annuals?
Dry Shade Gardening
Problem Solving Perennials
Green Mulching
Best Native Plants for Ornamental Gardens
Garden Soils and Amendment Techniques
Pollinator Gardens
Gardening Education: Advanced Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist. Visiting horticulture teacher in elementary through High School programs in Van Buren County. K-12 Teaching degree .
Gardening Experience: Started gardening as a toddler with my father and grandfather. I'm an avid ornamental gardener and force spring flowering bulbs for Hospice programs. Design and maintain pollinator gardens.
Specialties: Spring flowering bulbs, soil amendments, ornamental and pollinator gardens, perennial plants.
Honorarium: Yes
Amount You Charge: $100
Travel Restrictions: Within 50 miles of home
What Else Should We Know About You?: Have excellent teaching skills and my programs include well crafted slide presentations with handouts.
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Brian VanPatten
10294 N Linden Rd, Clio, MI
Business: 810-618-2529
Mobile: 810-618-2529
Email: green.scion@gmail.com
Topics: Tree Care Practices, Invasive terrestrial plants and insects, Tree defect identification, tree risk assessment, Tree identification: summer and winter, Community plantings, Pruning workshops, Woody Ornamental Care, Fun Vines, Foraging. Tree Valuation. Have been speaking for the Genesee County Master Gardeners for years and presenting workshops at the Arboretum where I work. National Speaker and continually creating new presentations, so ask me for what you want!
Gardening Education: B.S. Forestry from Michigan Tech, State of Mi registered forester, Certified Arborist: Municipal Specialist, Advanced Master Gardener, Conservation District Board Member, Certified Tree Risk Assessor, 5 years as Forestry Technician, 15 years and currently Horticulturist for a Nature Preserve and Arboretum
Gardening Experience: Former Master Gardener, Horticulturist involved with tree selection, care and planting in Arboretum, Responsible for all garden installation including interesting vines, native shade gardens, ornamental perennial gardens, rain gardens, grass gardens, interesting woody ornamentals, Garden maintenance including, but not limited to, pruning, design, Integrated Pest Management, Diagnostics, treatments including organic, conventional, and tree injections. Coordinate a community vegetable gardening facility and Hoop House, Worked as Urban Forester for 5 years and am familiar with challenges related to city trees. Have been involved with tree valuation court cases and have performed tree risk assessments. Have taught Woody Ornamentals portion of MG Class for Genesee County.
Specialties: All tree care, workshops on Tree Identification in Winter and Summer, Invasive plants and pests.
What I charge: For MG chapters...$100 per hour presentation, longer workshops and specialized presentations, negotiable, extra mileage reimbursement after 50 miles one way.
Travel: Within 150 miles of home
Other Information: Love my work and excited to give knowledge to others, Funny and gregarious with a depreciating self humor. Try to really engage the audience I am trying to reach and depart helpful tips that the audience can instantly put in to use. Excellent with longer tree I.D. and other workshops.
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Name: Carol Brodbeck
Email Address: brodbeck@aol.com
Address: 6410 Crane Rd.
Home Phone: 734-434-3795
Best Way to Contact Me: Email, Home Phone
Topics I Speak About:
Hummingbird Gardening (Hummer Haven)
Butterfly Gardening (Butterfly Bliss)
Spring-flowering bulbs (Think Spring)
Origins of Fruits and Vegetables (History on Our Tables)
Moon Garden (Sensuous Garden of the Night)
Pollinators (What's the Buzzzzz About?)
Creating a Holiday centerpiece
Houseplant TCL
African Violets
Under-utilized Weed, the Dandelion
Some Like it Dry (Drought-Tolerant)
Good Bug/Bad Bug
and others
Gardening Education: B.S. Biological Sciences; Accredited Advanced Master Gardener; National Garden Clubs, Inc. Environmental and Gardening Consultant and Master Landscape Design Consultant and Master Flower Show Judge
Gardening Experience: Been presenting on gardening and nature-related topics presented on a variety of topics to a wide variety of audiences of all ages (4-95) in a five-county area over the past 20 years. Some of these audiences were Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Chelsea, and Livonia libraries; garden clubs in Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Ingham, Livingston, Monroe, Jackson, and Wayne counties; Michigan Garden Club District Meetings; National Garden Club Central Region and National conventions; Colonial Dames of America; DAR; Questers, U-M, Washtenaw Community College Life-Long Learning, and most recently taught March 2021 Outdoor Flower course for 59 students at the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Gardening School. Served as State President of Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc. 2017-2019.
Specialties: Same as specified above.
Honorarium: Yes
Amount You Charge: via zoom $50.00. In-person $100 + mileage
Travel Restrictions: Within 150 miles of home
What Else Should We Know About You?: I try to answer the question "WHY" so audiences know why plants or practices are recommended--so they can make choices on their own without needing their lists of recommendations. Love to include biological tidbits to awe the audience of the awesomeness of nature. When appropriate, I also include some history about the topic. Each presentation is updated just prior with current information I just learned from a variety of periodicals to which I subscribe or lectures, webinars or classes I've attended. Will tailor presentation for a given audience. I have my own zoom license and been giving monthly gardening presentations to a max of 50 attendees this year. Have also been writing a monthly column on gardening in church newsletter since January 2020. Judge 4-H gardening-related exhibits at Washtenaw County Youth Fair.
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