Local volunteers earn Master Gardener state honors

O'FALLON, Ill. - Kane County Master Gardener Patty Harrer of Elgin and Kendall County Master Gardener Laura Spang of Batavia each earned a State Outstanding Master Gardener Award during the 2015 Illinois Master Gardener Conference on Friday, Sept. 18 in O'Fallon.

The State Outstanding Master Gardener Award honors the best of University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners each year. Candidates for the award must demonstrate leadership, follow through, initiative, management skills and be a positive influence.

Harrer shares her passion

An active Master Gardener for eight years, Harrer's project list is large and diverse. More recently, Harrer's efforts have centered on the Sherman Natural Prairie and Community Garden, where she is a member of the award-winning Master Gardener team.

"She has brought her contagious love of gardening to the Sherman Garden, teaching the 'Basics of Gardening' presentation to the first-year community gardeners and maintaining the Master Gardener demonstration beds," said Sarah Fellerer, Master Gardener program coordinator. "She also cultivated a unique friendship that led to the community garden featuring an authentic Three Sisters Garden, planted with Cherokee White Eagle Corn Seeds, in 2014."

These seeds have been passed on through many generations, one journey being the Cherokee Trail of Tears, and this traditional garden includes the sweet corn, beans and squash. The corn provides structure for the beans to climb; the beans then return nitrogen to the soil for the corn, while squash provides ground cover to preserve soil moisture, explained Fellerer.

Patty brought the project full circle by including an educational history lecture and traditional planting demonstration on-site for the Sherman gardeners and her fellow Master Gardeners. And at the end of a successful growing season, the Cherokee White Eagle Corn, Cherokee Trail of Tears Black Beans and Butternut Squash were harvested and shared with Master Gardeners and community gardeners the as tortillas, dip and sweet bread. She also returned 187 seeds to her friend who supplied the Cherokee White Eagle Corn seeds to begin the project.

Over her years of service, Harrer volunteered for the community through the Master Gardener Help Desk, the Idea Garden, Elgin Harvest Market, Kane County Female Inmate Garden, Fabyan Japanese Garden, Northgate Beautification, Ag Days at Mooseheart Child City & School, Speakers Bureau, Herman the Worm presentations and various garden walks.

"Patty takes the Master Gardener mission of 'Helping Others Learn to Grow' to heart,'" said Fellerer. "Patty's energy and enthusiasm allow her to naturally take the lead. With her friendly nature and quick smile, she works well with other volunteers and in a team."

Spang leads plant ID project at Farnsworth House

Batavia's Laura Spang currently is active in several Kendall County Master Gardener ventures, most notably the plant identification project at the historic Farnsworth House.

Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the home is a significant example of modernist architecture that attracts thousands of visitors from around the world; and Spang and her team work closely with the Farnsworth House caretaker to document the plant life of the 60-acre property.

"Laura has extensive knowledge of native plants and is able to identify many when they are just inches tall," said Sarah Fellerer, Master Gardener Program Coordinator. "She heads up a team of 10 Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, and the fruits of their labor will be made into pamphlets for the visitors and binders for the docents."

The team visits the property multiple times each season, and they have discovered come plants rare to Kendall County. Spang uses her camera to document all plants in various stages of growth for the identification guide.

Spang brings her experience as a restaurant manager to the Master Gardener team, providing time management, project management and leadership skills. She handles the scheduling and recruiting of volunteers for the Farnsworth House project, which is now in its third year.

Also the head of the Office Gardens Committee, Spang is spearheading the effort to replant beds with native species. The group wants to demonstrate eco-friendly gardening and the "right plant, right place" principle. She also established a native plant nursery in an unused garden bed, and these plants are divided and sold during the annual plant sale.

In addition, Spang serves as a member of the Kendall County Master Gardener Advisory Board and plays an important role in the annual plant sale and teaches winter sowing of milkweed and other native plants.

"In many ways, Laura exemplifies the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener mission of 'Helping Others Learn to Grow,'" said Fellerer. "She makes a point to be energetic and generous in every task, even the unpopular ones, like weeding. Her knowledge and the passion for sharing it make her an outstanding leader, resource and team member."

For more information on the Master Gardener program in your county, visit web.extension.illinois.edu/dkk. University of Illinois Extension provides educational programs and research-based information to help Illinois residents improve their quality of life, develop skills and solve problems.