Master Gardeners are individuals who are passionate about gardening. We are part of a vast international non-profit Master Gardener organization. Master Gardeners are a respected group of horticultural persons educated and certified through accredited universities or colleges.
Mission Statement:
The Manitoba Master Gardener Association (MMGA) cultivates the development and continuous education of Master Gardeners, supports volunteerism and encourages sustainable, proven gardening practices throughout Manitoba.
The Manitoba Master Gardener Association (MMGA) is an independent organization and has no affiliation with other Manitoba garden clubs which are listed under the banner.
Resources- Garden Club News
Filling the World with Wildflowers
Native plants are powerful and they offer a multitude of benefits to people and wildlife alike. Join Kelly Leask to learn about the ways she is working on bolstering native plant populations in Manitoba and how you can help. The presentation will cover an introduction to the Winnipeg Wildflower Project, an update on plans to move and expand Prairie Originals as well as tips on starting native plants from seed.
Kelly Leask is the owner of Prairie Originals, a native plant nursery near Selkirk, MB, and co-founder of the Winnipeg Wildflower Project, an organization that aims to restore urban spaces to native prairie habitat while increasing accessibility to native seed resources. Kelly has worked in the native plant industry since 2013. She is a Master Composter, a seed saver, and a member of the board of Manitoba Communities in Bloom. In 2017 Kelly was recognized as one of CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 for her conservation efforts as a native plant grower and gardening educator.
Members Free – go to Member Login page to Register.
Non-Members – $10.00*.
Friends of the Earth Canada is pleased to publish A Flower Patch for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee and Other Native Pollinators in the Greater Toronto Area, working with authors Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla, illustrator Ann Sanderson, and the City of Toronto to make this resource available.
A Flower Patch for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee provides powerful tools for taking action to support and protect native bees by creating habitat where we live, work and gather as communities. There is much that needs to be done to protect bees, but growing a flower patch is one action we can all take now to make a positive difference.
Click Here for your free download.
Gardening in the Heart
a 6-part video series of private Manitoba gardens
Lisa Renner – Designing a Garden Naturally
John Tinkler – A Designer’s Garden
Colleen Zacharias – A Gardening Workshop
Linda Cameron – A Scientist in Her Garden
Diana Dhaliwal – At Home in the Prairies
Millennium Gardens – A Garden for a Community
Bell MTS subscribers available on FIBE TV1 Channel 1 and 1001 Lifestyles folder!
A big thank you to Colleen Zacharias for this Winnipeg Free Press article highlighting the journey to producing these films: Click Here
Link to the Nadia Kidwai CBC morning show interview Click here
Book Sale!
Garden pests are a part of the life of every gardener. If you want to learn more how to deal with them in an environmentally friendly way then this is the book for you. Gardening, Naturally – By Hugh Skinner and Sara Williams.
The MMGA is offering the book, published by Coteau Books, Regina in 2011, for $10.00/copy, plus shipping cost. It is being made available to members of the MMGA and the general public.
To place your order e-mail: volunteers@mgmanitoba.com
Please specify your preference for pick-up or mail delivery. You will receive payment information upon receipt of your order.
Gardening Naturally – Book Review
By Liz Sellors, Interim Director of Educational Standards
Gardening, Naturally is a chemical-free handbook for the prairie gardener, co-authored by Hugh Skinner and Sara Williams. The book was written in 2011 and was published by Coteau Books of Regina, Saskatchewan. Gardening Naturally is a well written and easy-to-use guide specifically intended for Canadian prairie gardeners who are interested in effective ways of eradicating pests and diseases from the garden without resorting to chemicals. The book addresses alternatives to the use of chemical pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. Chemical products intended for use by gardeners were developed in the late 1940’s. Until that time solutions for addressing pests and diseases in the garden were largely based on folk wisdom, much of which began to be lost once chemicals were introduced. But, over the last few decades, environmental movements have once again looked to natural ways of dealing with garden pests and diseases. With the move to green solutions, scientifically based alternatives have begun to emerge and are gaining notice. It was the emerging interest in alternatives to chemicals for the garden that was the inspiration behind Gardening, Naturally.
The over-arching theme of this well-laid-out, well-illustrated book of alternatives to chemical use in the garden addresses the fundamentals of maintaining a healthy garden through natural means. The book first examines the history of controlling pests and diseases in the garden, starting with a look at the use of organic solutions that had been developed over centuries, and how they began to be replaced by the successful marketing campaigns of the companies producing chemical solutions for gardeners. The promotion of the idea that chemicals were the answer to the perfect garden was in reality a concept that ensured repeat business by making plants dependent on chemicals. The result was unimaginable harm. Gardening, Naturally points the way to a return to dealing with garden issues organically.
Through the use of alternatives to insecticides, herbicides and pesticides, the book demonstrates how to ensure that the basic needs of plants are met. The book is well researched and scientifically based. It not only looks at how to work with natural products, but also addresses why change is crucial. It looks at the importance of changing our attitude toward insects; the importance of identifying of insects and why their survival is crucial to human survival. It looks at essential garden practices like soil testing, water conservation, effective organic lawn care and weed control. It looks at growing food successfully without chemicals and recommends the best vegetables to grow in the prairie garden. Other sections are devoted to flowers, bulbs, and vines suitable for the prairies. It also includes a comprehensive section on trees and shrubs for the prairie gardener.
Master Gardeners and Master Gardeners in Training (MGIT)
Association members: access volunteer opportunities on the Member Login page frequently. Also, new important messages and items that have arisen at MMGA Board meetings.
Support our Local Manitoba Greenhouses!
A very special “Thank You” to local garden centres who generously give members of our Manitoba Master Gardener Association a 10% discount on regularly priced plants and garden merchandise. As Master Gardeners let’s give local garden centres our support and keep them in business. Let them know how much we appreciate them, their plants and their expertise. Remember this is a mutually beneficial relationship! Here are the names of participating 10% off donors:
Alternative Landscaping Ltd., 34th St. & Patricia Ave., Brandon, MB www.alternativelandscapingltd.com
Green Oak Gardens, Beausejour, MB – https://www.greenoak.ca/
Jardins St-Leon Gardens, 419 St. Mary’s Rd.,Wpg. – www.stleongardens.com
Jensen’s Nursery & Garden Centre, 2550 McGillivray Blvd., Wpg. – http://www.jensennursery.com/
Lacoste Garden Centre, 2787 St. Mary’s Rd., Wpg. – www.lacostegardencentre.com
Red Valley Plant Market, 3091 St. Mary’s Rd., Wpg. – www.redvalley.ca
Ron Paul Garden Centre, Winnipeg – www.ronpaulgardencentre.com
Sage Gardens Greenhouses, 3410 St. Mary’s Rd., Wpg. – www.sagegarden.ca
Schriemer’s Greenhouse, 2857 McGregor Farm Rd., Birds Hill – www.schriemers.com
Shelmerdine Nursery & Garden Centre, 7800 Roblin Blvd., Headingley, MB – www.shelmerdine.com
The Green Spot, 139 Rosser Ave., E., Brandon – www.greenspotbrandon.com
T&T Seeds – 7724 Roblin Blvd., Headingley, MB – https://ttseeds.com/
To all Manitoba Garden/Horticultural or Garden related organizations!!
This website is a great opportunity for your organization to post or advertise meeting schedules or events on our Resources section under Garden Club News. To submit please send your information to: mndudek@mgmanitoba.com We look forward to helping you advertise your event.
For all inquiries contact ask@mgmanitoba.com
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMGA – AGM 9:30 am MMGA – AGM Apr 10 @ 9:30 am – 11:30 am  Reserve the date – April 10, 2021 for our Annual General Meeting via Zoom. Watch for more information! | ||||||
| Attracting Honey Bees – Charleswood Garden Club 7:00 pm Attracting Honey Bees – Charleswood Garden Club @ Zoom meeting online Apr 14 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm  Rebecca Krowelski, owner and operator of Prairie Sweetheart Honey Apiary will talk about honey bees including information about how to attract pollinators to our gardens. This event is free to everyone. You can register by sending an email … | Mixing It Up! 7:00 pm Mixing It Up! @ Zoom meeting online Apr 15 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Derek Yarnell, Master Gardener, will inspire you to mix native plants with conventional or ornamental plantings using examples from his own garden. As well, he and Murray Gadd will outline our plans for PNGG members to visit … Mixing Native and Conventional Plants 7:00 pm Mixing Native and Conventional Plants Apr 15 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm  Derek Yarnell, Master Gardener, will provide advice on and examples of mixing conventional and native plants in your own garden. Those wanting to add native plants to their current gardens, or to convert to a larger proportion of … | |||||
| Soil – What’s in it for You? 3:00 pm Soil – What’s in it for You? @ Zoom meeting online Apr 18 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Gord Bone presenting on soil and all you wanted to know. | Gardening for Wildlife – Canadian Wildlife Federation 9:00 am Gardening for Wildlife – Canadian Wildlife Federation @ Online video courses Apr 21 @ 9:00 am – May 19 @ 9:00 pm Are you thinking of making your outdoor space wildlife-friendly but don’t know how? If so, then you’ll enjoy CWF’s new online – and free – course to help you learn about the wildlife around your community and how … Compost, Soil and Climate Change 7:00 pm Compost, Soil and Climate Change @ Zoom meeting online Apr 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm PREPARING the GROUND HEALTHY SOIL for A FREE Webinar Series for Gardeners In this webinar, third in the series, you will learn how soil and climate are directly connected, and what that means for climate change. We will … Grow where you are Planted! 7:00 pm Grow where you are Planted! @ Zoom meeting online Apr 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Linda Wall presents on insights into micro gardening. Registration admin@mbhorticulture.ca | Filling the World with Wildflowers 7:00 pm Filling the World with Wildflowers @ Zoom meeting online Apr 22 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Registration and PayPal payment Opens on March 24th! Members: go to Member Login Native plants are powerful and they offer a multitude of benefits to people and wildlife alike. Join Kelly Leask to learn about the ways she … | ||||
| Nature’s Best Hope: A Talk with Doug Tallamy 6:00 pm Nature’s Best Hope: A Talk with Doug Tallamy @ Zoom meeting online Apr 26 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm  Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. … |
