Interview with MMGA Board Member Judy Heppelle

How long have you been gardening?

My mom loved her yard. She had both a vegetable garden and flower gardens, so I always thought that’gardening’ was something I could do. We lived on a regular-sized lot in Kenora, ON; there were endlessfields of corn, peas, or beans to pick, and potatoes to hoe. We ate fresh vegetables in the summer and enjoyed bouquets of lilacs, peonies, or daisies in season. Gardening was as natural as cooking, baking, or sewing. Mom did it; I could do it.

What kind of garden(s) do you have?

I bought my first, and current, house in 1980. The backyard had a skinny perennial border along the back fence – two feet wide at the most. What came up that first spring were ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) and those tall orange daylilies (Hemerocallis). The front yard had two trees – a birch (Betula) and a magnificent mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia); both now gone, taken by old age and disease.

The front yard now has a newish Japanese lilac (Syringa reticulata), a nannyberry (Viburnum lentago), ayoung bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), several mugo pines (Pinus mugo), and other smaller shrubs andperennials in a long, wide bed. Under the window is another bed with ninebark (Physocarpus) and daylilies.

Over the years, I’ve pulled the back yard perennial bed further and further out from that fence on all sides, removing more lawn and deeply curving the division between grass and ‘garden’.

There’s a lot of diervilla (Diervilla lonicera) in my yard. I love that shrub! There are also a variety of hydrangeas, spireas, viburnums, astilbes, and hostas growing in the shady areas as well as an assortment of prairie native grasses, actea, pulmonaria, lilies (asiatic and martagon), ligularia, Joe Pye weed, daylilies (some of the originals way in the back and a few newer varieties), vines (hops and clematis varieties), andanything else that grows and fills in the space. You will see no bare earth in my yard. A path, perhaps, but no brown. Two Starlite ornamental crabapple trees (Malus ‘Jeflite’) and an Amur Ming Cherry tree (Prunus maackii ‘Ming’) show white spring blossoms. Large pots throughout the yard provide the summer flowers.

What are the things that give you the most joy in the garden?

I love a yard that has several layers to it. What also appeals to me is green in its various shades and leaf formations – the silvers of Stachys and Brunnera, spring green of the birch, chartreuse Aralia ‘Sun King’,any deep evergreen, the variegated leaves of Ivory Halo dogwood, the purple green of actea, and some of the penstemon grasses.

I confess now, publicly, that I am not a rose lover. The truth is finally out there; my confession has been heard. I carry on with my mom’s tradition – she was not a rose lover. I stand with my mom.

Why and when did you decide to become a master gardener?

I have been a master gardener for 14 years. Initially, I took the courses because I wanted to learn more about gardening and, as I was coming close to retirement, I knew I would have more time to garden and volunteer. I was elected to the position of Special Events Director in April 2025.

The Special Events Committee hosts five events throughout the year. The first event is a gardening-related film held in February. For years, it had been held at Cinematheque butthere’s a change of venue for 2026. We’ll be seeing Agatha’s Almanac at the Canadian Mennonite University on February 7^th.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is coordinated jointly with the Education Committee. This year, the date is April 11^th. The meeting consists of discussion of, and amendments to, the By-laws, the election ofofficers, a speaker on a gardening topic, and, of course, conversations with fellow gardeners.

The third event is the Plant Sale at Bronx Park Community Club, being held this year on Saturday, June 7^th. It has been a popular and successful event for several years now.

The fourth and most anticipated event of the year is the Garden Tour, being held on July 18 ^th, 2026. Lastyear, there was a record 547 passports sold.

The final event of the year is the annual Fall Wind-up. This event provides members an opportunity to connect with other association members, enjoy lunch, and enjoy an interesting presentation.

Is there anything you would like our members to know that would make your job in this position easier?

I don’t want to sound like I do all of this myself. The committee members who do the work and all the coordinating and planning have been serving on this committee for years and know how to put all that’srequired together. I put in a few volunteer hours and serve as liaison to the Board. A big Thank You and applause to committee members Shelley Walker, Elsie Kathler, Lori Graham, Diana Bennett-Dhaliwal, Collette Wilson, and Gila Isaacs.

Which volunteer commitments or projects would you recommend to new master gardeners or interns?

The purpose of any Master Gardener Association is community service as volunteer gardening educators. There are many ways for you to do that: community clubs and schools are looking for gardening information; nursing homes have gardens that need tender loving care; garden clubs always welcome a presenter, or you can volunteer at MMGA events. Get involved. Show off your skills and learn new ones.

I volunteer at Oakview Nursing Home in St. James and lead one of the gardening teams at Fort Whyte Alive.