Released Feb. 16, 2008
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Thanks to the efforts of several local Master Gardeners, a family who will be moving into a Habitat for Humanity house in a few weeks not only will have a new place to call home, but the yard will already have some landscaping in place.
Master Gardener Randy Freeland said the landscaping material, including Crepe Myrtle, Rose of Sharon, Monkey Grass and Nandina, came from one of the homes north of the Oklahoma State University campus that was being torn down.
“Now isn’t the best time to try to transplant plants, but we’re working on a tight deadline,” Freeland said. “The house is to be torn down anytime and if we wanted to salvage the plants, we had to dig them up now.”
Kelsey McCollum, Payne County Cooperative Extension Service horticulture educator and coordinator of the county’s Master Gardener program, said the cool weather is one aspect they have working on their side in the transplant process.
“The plants are dormant right now and they’re not losing much moisture,” McCollum said. “We wouldn’t be able to store the plants until the Habitat for Humanity home is ready if we were doing this in the summer.”
Once the plants were dug up, the group, which also consisted of Pat Kerns and Bill Erwin, both Master Gardeners, wrapped the roots in plastic to protect them from the elements. The plants will be stored until the soil is ready at the new house located on 8th Street.
Stan Waugh, Habitat for Humanity volunteer coordinator, said the plants can be replanted once the dirt work is completed at the new house.
“Stillwater Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to the mission of providing decent, safe and affordable housing to our citizens,” Waugh said. “We are very dependent on charitable gifts such as reusable household goods to accomplish our mission. The house that will benefit from the landscaping efforts of the Master Gardeners will be ready for a family within the next few weeks.”
Waugh said Stillwater Habitat for Humanity has benefited greatly by salvaging other items from houses north of campus that are schedule be to demolished.
“Oklahoma State University has allowed Stillwater Habitat for Humanity to recycle items such as doors, cabinets, fixtures and more that otherwise would have been sent to the landfill,” he said. “We couldn’t do our missions without the support of so many wonderful volunteers and donors.”
The Master Gardener program is a volunteer training program conducted by the OSU Cooperative Extension Service and is designed to help county Extension centers meet the demands for consumer horticulture information.
Master Gardeners take classroom training coordinated by local Extension staff with the assistance of state Extension specialists located at OSU. After classroom training is completed, program participants are involved in an internship program of volunteer service. Volunteer service components vary widely around the state, but in all cases are educational, Extension related and represent the interests of the OSU Cooperative Extension Service.
Master Gardeners have become a vital part of Extension's ability to provide consumers with up-to-date, research-based information. Master Gardening has also become a popular volunteer activity that gives its participants a sense of community spirit, accomplishment and intellectual stimulation.
More information regarding the Master Gardener program may be found online at http://www.hortla.okstate.edu/hortla/mastergardener.htm. For more information about Habitat for Humanity, visit the organization’s Web site at http://www.stillwaterhabitat.org
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Contact: Trisha Gedon, (405) 744-3625, trisha.gedon@okstate.edu
