4-H Gardening Club members include (from left) Miranda Hunter, Paige Feldmann, Billy Feldmann, Ashley Feldmann and Emma Feldmann.

Native Delaware: Blue ribbon plants

New Delaware 4-H Gardening Club grows green thumbs

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8:12 a.m., Sept. 6, 2012--“I never knew you could take a leaf and put it in soil and grow a new plant,” says Cameron Ernst.

Sometimes, you can even grow a blue ribbon in the process.

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Ernst, a 14-year-old Hockessin resident, learned about leaf cutting and other methods of propagating plants from a 4-H Gardening Club that started last fall. One of Ernst’s coleus cuttings grew into such a lush, colorful beauty that it garnered a blue ribbon at the Delaware State Fair.

“The kids in the 4-H Gardening Club came in knowing very little about horticulture,” says Carrie Murphy, a horticulture agent for New Castle County Cooperative Extension. “At the first meeting, I took them on a tour of the University of Delaware’s Fischer Greenhouse, where the club meets. They were interested in the plants, the different growing environments, plant disease, insects and more. They were enthusiastic learners who picked up a lot in a short time.”

The same could be said for their club leader, Robyn Hunter, who says she is “hooked on 4-H” and spends a week of vacation each July at the State Fair, cheering on her 16-year-old daughter, Miranda, and other 4-Hers as they compete in a slew of events, from biggest tomato to best landscape photograph.

“I grew up in suburban Newark and didn’t know anything about agriculture before I got involved with 4-H,” says Hunter. “Now I don’t think anything of helping with the Avian Bowl or livestock entries at the fair.”

Nor did she give a second thought to creating a Gardening Club, despite little horticulture experience of her own. “I’m good at coordinating things,” says Hunter, who also is a co-leader of Flock of Friends, a general interest 4-H club. 

The garden club meetings are held monthly during the school year. The University greenhouse is a great place to meet and not just because it’s equipped with all the tools of the trade, from grow lights to misting systems.

“In the greenhouse, the kids can get up and close and personal with faculty research projects, learn about various growing environments, and look at cool and crazy plants that they've never seen before,” says Murphy.

And there’s one more important benefit, according to the Ernst family. 

“The greenhouse staffers would water the club’s plants when we weren’t there to do it,” says Cameron’s mother, Maureen Ernst. “Now that the fair is over, Cameron’s prize-winning coleus is out on the deck and we have to remember to water it and all the other plants.” 

The Ernsts, including older brother Matthew, 18, also are involved in the 4-H Garden at Nemours Mansion and Gardens. This two-year-old project teaches youth about the ins and outs of growing vegetables while supplying produce to the Food Bank of Delaware. So far this season, the garden has donated more than 600 pounds of produce.

In early spring, the Gardening Club started some vegetable plants from seed for the Nemours garden but Hunter and Murphy hope to see that collaboration expanded. “We’d like to help with planting and weeding days at Nemours,” says Hunter. “Given that all the produce is donated to the Food Bank, it’s a great way to add a community service component to our club.”

Youth and their parents interested in the 4-H Gardening Club can call the New Castle County Extension office, 831-COOP.

Master Gardener workshops

You may be too old for the 4-H Gardening Club but it’s never too late to cultivate a green thumb. Master Gardener workshops are a great way to learn more about gardening, whether you’re a brand new or longtime gardener.

This fall, New Castle County Master Gardeners workshop series runs the gamut from a pruning how-to a discussion of water conservation techniques.

Trees take center stage at two workshops. The first, Sept. 29, is a field trip to check out trees that are champions – meaning, the largest tree of its species in the state – at sites ranging from Blackbird to Centreville. Later in the fall, you can learn how to select, place and maintain trees on your own property. This workshop, scheduled for Nov. 13, details the ecological, aesthetic and economic value of trees, too.  

The Sussex Master Gardeners also offer a varied selection of workshops, from a Sept. 11 session on growing herbs to a raised bed construction class on Oct. 16.

“Peter Rabbit is Not My Friend,” on Oct. 9, details ways to rid your garden of rabbits, deer, groundhogs, moles, voles and other animal pests. (Or, at the least, how to co-exist with these critters and still have a decent-looking garden.)

For a complete list of Master Gardener workshops in New Castle County, go to the website. For information on Sussex workshops, see this website.

Article by Margo McDonough

Photo by Danielle Quigley

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