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
Gardening in the Heart – part 2
Coming Soon!
In Memory of Shannon Dawn Coughlin
October 21, 1954 – November 26, 2021
Shannon was a member of the MMGA, Volunteer Committee, MMGA Kildonan-Country Study Group and Transcona Garden Club, and owner of a Facebook page Because I Love Gardening where she also shared her gardening knowledge. The photograph on the Facebook page is of her spectacular front garden beds that were awarded the Take Pride Winnipeg Best Garden in her neighborhood. She gardened for over 40 years, planting many flowerbeds, an abundance of perennials, annuals, hanging baskets and she created several themed gardens that were showstoppers.
Shannon was a student in the Manitoba Master Gardener Class of 2019. She also enrolled in virtual studies with the University of Saskatchewan, attended many gardening seminars, Garden Club zoom presentations, and other various online courses.
In March 2020, Shannon joined the MMGA Volunteer Committee because she expressed an interest in becoming involved with the Association. It was evident she loved gardening, writing (she published a book on her family history), and preparing and giving power point presentations, having years of experience with the Federal Government. Shannon’s skills were an excellent fit for her new role on the MMGA Board of Directors, Volunteer Coordination Director. Shannon enthusiastically accepted this opportunity and became a very active member that greatly benefited the MMGA, its members and the public that were requesting Master Gardener volunteers.
Shannon did so much for the MMGA in such a short period of time and was totally dedicated to her new role. She had many great ideas and the know-how and tenacity to make them come to fruition. Some of her accomplishments include: replying to public requests for volunteers, and many member emails, preparing and giving several presentations when members were not available, assisting with new initiatives such as policy and guidelines for the collection of intern volunteer hours, attending Board meetings, learning the administrative duties for the volunteer management software program, writing an article for the MMGA Newsletter and handling the book sale of Gardening Naturally.
She wrote her MMGA exam and was very proud to receive her Master Gardener designation on November 23, 2021.
Shannon was very giving of her time, a wise, gregarious, and positive person to be around. She will be greatly missed.
An excellent example of one of our members, Lois Maclennan, volunteering in our community!
Click Here to read this Winnipeg Free Press article!
Look for our New Signs in the Community!
These are Projects where we Volunteer
Annette Schewe, Master Gardener volunteering in Steinbach, MB
A wonderful example of our members volunteering in the community.
Read Here
Gardening in the Heart – part 2
Coming Soon!
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.
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.
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
St. Mary’s Nursery & Garden Centre, 2901 St. Mary’s Rd., Wpg. – www.stmarysnurseryandgardencentre.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 |
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| Program Information Presentation 7:00 am Program Information Presentation @ Zoom meeting online Jan 5 @ 7:00 am – 8:30 am  Welcome to our MMGA 2022 Information Session! When: Jan 5, 2022 Time: 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Please join us to learn about the Master Gardener program. You are required to register in advance for this … | ||||||
| On Mixing Native and Non-Native Plants in your Garden 7:00 pm On Mixing Native and Non-Native Plants in your Garden @ Zoom meeting online Jan 13 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm  Presenter, Linda Dietrick, PNGG member, Master Gardener, and former editor of The Prairie Garden, including the 2020 issue, Inspired by Nature, will be our guest speaker for our final meeting in January. Popular projects like Douglas Tallamy’s Homegrown … | ||||||
