Tarrant County Master Gardener
2013 Members Survey
102 Surveys returned 10/3/13
48 Involvement sheets returned
Texas AgriLIFE
How likely will you be to implement changes in your gardening practices due to what you learned this year as an MG?
I love learning to use new ideas; 100%; Definitely changing to more native plants; It is not what I have changed but what I have taught others and the change; Yes, I’m always excited to hear how others achieve success; All the time! Plus my friends and neighbors are making changes because of questions I can answer. Sometimes – been an MG for 10 years; some what likely; pretty likely; I follow most of the practices; I tried to use almost everything that applicable to my gardening needs; possibly – I always learn something new each year; fairly likely if no expensive; better watering and use of native plants; Put ideas and suggestions to use all the time!; likely -with emphasis; very due to impending drought; Very – at 1 mcg learned about introducing flowers into vegetable beds for beauty – and to make more acceptable to neighbors in front yards; I find something to use at home almost everytime I participate in an event; Likely; very likely; a 10; very likely; likely, already have; likely – on a mission to --- in my yard; more compost; very much; very likely; sharing and promoting MG efforts in the community, increased knowledge of design, propagation; likely, already have; very; quite a lot, I’m redoing many things that I had done wrong before, started a compost bin; very likely’ ; all the time; very likely; very; very; very; removing grass from front yard and replacing with TX natives; already have; very likely; likely; I already have made some changes; I have changed many things because of education through this organization; very; not; very likely; yes, I will; very likely; very likely; on reports, very likely; I’ve learned several things I will use; very; very likely; extremely likely; likely; quite likely, actually; very likely; very; very likely, yes; likely, drought tolerant and native plants- speakers gave us a lot of great ideas;
Monthly Master Gardener Meetings
Suggestions to improve monthly meetings:
Love them as they are; more energetic speakers who do not just show a slide show; More Education, less business; cookies, coffee, tea or bottled water ready to serve at beginning of mtg. present both programs, then the business mtg. then dismiss. There should be far less emphasis on food. Start mtg. at 10:00 and be done by 12:30; I am OK with current plan; too long, eliminate PM speaker; business meeting seems to be getting longer and longer; add a “tip” jar at coffee area to help with cost of coffee and condiments; Maybe let people who bring food get 2-5 hours credit; ½ day- open time for questions; make some sound and audio-visuals work; shorter –fewer announcements – that’s the newsletter job!; already well organized; I like the vendor meetings; Maybe 9-12?; I would not want to be an afternoon speaker – many people have to leave at noon; give a two minute warning before meeting starts (bell?); shorter business section – Don’t need reports from every committee, Pres. Doesn’t need to talk so much; generally satisfactory as is; better speakers; sometimes speaker can’t be heard; cut back business meeting. Treasurer’s resprt in writing not explained; love it the way it is; start at 9 – too much business; I love all the programs; business meeting too long! Too much time at Resource Connection, not enough on projects; explain that the meeting begins at 10, everyone needs to be seated and quiet or go into the hall. I like having the time at lunch to get to te various stations but it can be a long block of time; on reports, such things the entire group is not interested in – trip to Mexico- Garden conser, - and as such there doesn’t need 45 min. report; during business meeting have officers close at hand so there isn’t dead time while we wait for them to walk to podium; we need to work on speaker quality; please try to streamline the business meeting so that ir doesn’t drag on and on; give speakers ideas and topics for their area of interest to make sure the topic is covered more; move some of more popular/busy vendor tables to other end of room to move some of congestion near sing in table; improve speakers, perhaps from A&M and professionals in landscape architecture, improve presentations with technology; shorter business portion, we don’t need loads of information about personal opinions. August mtg for example had one person talking for a long time about the trip to Mexico; I really enjoy it the way it is, maybe try this one time to see how it works, we need the extra time to make trip worth while, visit display items, etc.;
Would you favor having a brunch with only one speaking session and ending the MG meeting at noon?
Yes - lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
No - llllllllllllllllllll
Only if we can get 3 hours of credit; either is fine; but only if the business portion were reduced; Yes, this is a good idea; for some meetings; So many people leave after lunch, I always feel bad for the 2nd speaker; How would this effect time keeping requirements? Either; for most meetings except BBQ days w/longer speaker those days; definitely; either or both;
TCMGA Meeting Programs
Suggestions for topics or speakers at monthly meeting:
Dragonfly experts from Tarleton State Univ. Since Tarleton is now in the TA&M system, we should see who else would be a good speaker for us.
FW Nature Center – Chad Etheridge – I have heard him give this program (817-392-7410).Excellent program on the Trinity River (Not Trinity Vision or Uptown)
More TAMU involvement. Get speaker from TAMU – Less Selling; Residential landscaping, Plant education; Arboretum Children’s Garden George Bush library landscape follow up on BRIT; easy fixes for adding color to front yards, native plants, plant diseases, esp. tomatoes and other vege, gardens plants; another weather man; house plants; Native plant gardens – introducing natives into existing gardens; container gardening, perennials, vines; We never hear enough about drought tolerance, water conservation, not just in plants but on a systemic basis. Also serious vegetable gardening advice, not just tomatoes; gardening by season at appropriate time of year; wildscaping, native grasses, container gardening, rock gardening, rain gardening, hedgerows; Citizen Forestry – contact Courtney Blevins – City of FW; more info on landscapes and plants; invasive aquatic plants; class on redesigning residential garden w/ suggestions on plant pairings for shade- light, sun, soil suggestions, rock design, etc.; plant identification, identifying pests and problems, treatments; lily, grounds of the Perot; BRIT; the woman who spoke in Jan. 2011 about critters the – from Dallas; water issues in Tarrant area, Linda Christie of Tarrant Regional Water district; more rainwater harvesting, landscape architecture, picture tour thru famous Gardens (Monticello); specific plants to grow for all seasons and companion plants; garden design; more info on native plants; lily and iris society; at a naturalist meeting, there was an excellent film about the Tx horned lizard (horney toad). It emphasizes how humans effect the environment, so I think it would be relevant; container gardening, plants, gift certificates to nurseries, iris in spring; Neil Sperry, Howard Garrett; vegetables, roses; native trees for our area; rose rosette; we have enough funds, we might consider a major speaker, i.e., Brent Anderson from Brent and Becky’s bulb. Might be able to share costs with another organization, Dallas MG. One meeting a year it would be interesting to have a “seminar” format – set up eight classrooms w/MG speakers and you can attend 2-3. Evan McKibbin- Viticulture, a program by one of the foresters on urban forestry and trees, winter vegetable gardening in Tarrant County, state parks landscaping; Programs are good; great job on programs; organic speakers, authors; landscape architecture, lectures from A&M, speakers from other MG towns, MG Real gardens; already fabulous; I have enjoyed all payments; great selection this year, suggest 1. water frugal native plants for DGW area, water 1-2-3-4-5 times a year, example McKinney research project- Sept field trip, 2 a talk from one of the Master Gardeners or all of those who went to Alaska on the MG cruise;
TCMGA Monthly Raffle - money raised is divided among all Projects
Suggestions to improve the Raffle;
Visibility in room – needs to be next to sign-in table; it’s Okay; currently too expensive; raffle tickets too expensive; quit funding projects; yes, if monthly; keep doing this!!! Projects need the money and more!; Donna Fry has done a great job!; Donna did a great job this year; no; too expensive; like it now; multiple items better than single large; charge less for tickets; none; like the old way – maybe ; more marketing at beginning of meeting and at door; really $10 – look how many more could participate at $5; it’s a great format; better and more interesting items for auction, trips, spa package, garden drawing, planting guide’s, gift certificate to nursery’s; keep it up – fun;
Activities / Field Trips
What field trips do you enjoy the most? Check all that apply
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll_____ Public garden tours (example: Chandor)
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll _____Private / Home garden tours
llll No lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll_____ Tours that include shopping at a garden center
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll_____ A combination of above
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll_____ Thematic garden tours (all roses, all native plants, etc.)
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll_____ Morning only tours
llllllllllllllllllllllllll_____Morning through mid-afternoon tours
What local or regional (public or private) garden would you recommend the membership tour? (Please give location/area and as much information as possible.)
Dallas Arboretum; I enjoyed the tour of some of our Master Gardeners successes. I have enjoyed every trip I’ve gone on; Roy Myers Children’s Garden; Lavender Ridge Farm- located just outside Gainesville – good day trip; local MG projects – many haven’t been visited since intern year, if then; Grapevine botanic; Tx Discovery garden in Dallas; Weatherford, Chamblea Garden; FW Botanical Garden, BRIT; Blue Moon Gardens near Edom, Tx: Dallas Arboretum by bus or Tyler Roses; FW Botanic Garden, Chandor Garden, have not visited a bad garden recommended by this organization; Arboretum; Chandor Gardens, Clark Gardens, Dallas arboretum; One of the best field trips I’ve been on is a visit to Plano’s compost facility; Dallas arboretum; history and ---of this UTA- garden developed with----between city/architects/ and market, these is a vegetarian restaurant?
Suggestions to improve Activities and Field Trips:
Please don’t schedule trips so far away. Ie, McKinney; I don’t walk very well. I need to bring my own car. Very often am not able to tay the entire time and I don’t want to ask my friends to miss part of the field trip. Please that that into consideration when you declare Car Pools ONLY. I’m not the only person that doesn’t go on field trips anymore because of that. Some need portable PA system for guide to be heard; Hard to go in the summer, too hot; improved maps and directions to location; lunch provided; it was impossible to get to the recent McKinney tour. I was going to arrive later and it never happened; try to find something closer to FW; rotate members of committee; Post intern trips so others can join; I hope to participate in more of the field trips and activities after March when I quit my full time job. I haven’t gone on very many of thse because of my work so I really can’t comment; the Collin county MGs had an amazing facility, the tree farm near there wold have been better in the spring, I missed some of the tours, would love to go to Fredericksburg in the spring; don’t plan too many stops for a field trip. The McKinney field trip had too many places to see in one day, very exhausting; Historical houses with gardens, doesn’t’ have to be a “historic garden” – maybe someone in Dallas MG Ass. May know about some on “M” street (This isn’t very helpful, sorry); a bus to far away places; better planning for lunch; schedule at appropriate time. McKinney to see crepe myrtles was fabulous, but blooms were not oat their peak; McKinney was too far;
TCMGA Education:
Have you ever attended a MG class? Yes- 1lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lll No lllll
(too far from where I live plus cannot do Saturdays
Which ones? Propagating bulbs; Compost,rainbarrell harvest, stone leaves, hypertufa; compost, hypertufa, cement leaves; various;
Only to teach it; composting; several; fall veggies, mosaic stones; succulents; veg. growing, rain gauge and others I can’t remember; tomato plants, herb gardening, irrigation water barrel, transplanting vegetable gardening, perennial gardens, propagation; drip irrigation – class was worthless, same info I had already heard; all of the pruning classes; cement leaf making; copper rain gauge, cement leaves; spring and fall veg. gardening; vegetable gardening; several – rain barrel, canning, cactus class (speaker); hypertufa, cactus, vegetable gardening, backyard chickens, herbs, irrigation, greenhouse, glass totems; pruning; herbs; prune blackberries; making garden stones; rain barrel, community immigrant day; hypertufa; The orchard, blackberry pruning; totems; many; vegetable gardening; rain gauge building; perennials, gourds; many, mushroom cement; canning; pruning, veg specialist, fruits, veg (intern classes); glass totem poles; fall veg gardening; vegetable gardening; rain barrel, stepping stones; native plants; vegetables, roses, diseases; propagation, perennials, rain barrel, vegetable gardening; propagation, garden leaves; plant seeds, drip irrigation; perennials, crafts; making a rain chain, herbal vinegar, composting; many; many; bulbs, rain gauge, cement planter; perennials, natives, farie gardening; terrariums, hypertufa; rain barrels, herbs; bulbs; composting, companion planting, pruning fruit trees, blackberries, roses, native plants, herbs; children’s garden; bugs; hypertufa, terrariums; leaf, glass totem, orb, wreath; cement leaves, bulb pots, hypertufa, glass totem;