News
Rain Garden Project at Paradise Park
October 8, 2024
Several members spent an afternoon planting 20 native plants at Paradise Park in Muhlenberg County. The area between the entrance and pavilion often collects water, an ideal setting for a rain garden. The rain garden project will take 3 years to complete with Phase 1 now underway. The garden will be dedicated to the memory of Carolyn Shelton, who was so excited about this project. Her enthusiasm and love for Paradise Park will live on through this garden!
Hay Bale Trail at Mahr Park Arboretum
September 22, 2024
This year's hay bale entry was inspired by a photo of a bumblebee visiting a purple coneflower. Installation was completed on September 22; four days later the remnants of Hurricane Helene swept through Madisonville, resulting in the cancelation of Harvest Fest and causing damage to multiple hay bale entries, but thankfully our hay bale survived!
Many hours went into the design and construction of our entry. Twelve flower petals were fashioned from chicken wire and wrapped in pink plastic. The bumblebee's body was created from chicken wire stuffed with straw; pipe cleaners were braided to create the legs and wings were created using foam posterboard. The hay bale was painted green to become the flower's stem and multiple yucca plants were painted orange to form the center of the flower.
Pennyroyal Master Gardeners
GARDEN Tour
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Our first ever Garden Tour featured 5 stunning gardens and farms in Hopkins County offering participants a 'delightful escape into Nature's local beauty'. 102 tickets were sold for this event!
Featured gardens were: Teaguewood Daylilies, Pond River Farm, the Berrys, the Monroes and the Baughs. The First Christian Church Community Garden and Arboretum was our headquarters for this event; visitors enjoyed light refreshments while checking out the plants and garden-themed hats and t-shirts for sale. Master gardeners were on hand at each location to answer questions.
Thank you to everyone who worked to make this event a success!
Spring Lawn and Garden Fair
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Our tenth annual garden fair did not disappoint! The weather cooperated and attendance eclipsed 450 visitors. Fifteen lawn and garden vendors were present, including both Hopkins County High School horticulture clubs. Educational talks were given on hydroponics, worm farming and honeybees, and a tour was given of the herb gardens. There were plenty of silent auction baskets to bid on as well as a flea market; besides that we also had a book giveaway and children's craft activities.
Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Office
The new office will be 26,000 sq. ft., nearly 4 times the size of the existing office. Estimated completion date is December 2024. [Photos courtesy of Matt Fulkerson, December 2023]
Fall Plant Swap & Trunk or Treat
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Over 200 people visited our Plant Swap this fall! Attendees had an array of houseplants, bulbs, perennials and garden supplies to choose from, all free for the taking. Master gardener volunteers were busy fielding questions, helping attendees select the perfect plant to take home. Many people brought children in costumes, who enjoyed our Trunk or Treat.
Tomato Tasting
Saturday, July 29, 2023
This new event was a joint venture between the Pennyroyal Master Gardener Association and the Hopkins County Farmers' Market. Several PMGA members volunteered at this event by selling tickets and helping prepare the tomato samples. A $5 ticket allowed the buyer to taste 4 of the 10 varieties on hand. Participating vendors were Pond River Farmstand (Goliath, Amana Orange), Third Day Farms (JetSetter, Celebrity), Halls Happy Acres (Jet Star, Heirloom), Glad Moon Farms (Sweetheart Cherry), LouMae's Farm (Mt Fresh) and Duncan Farms (Red Deuce, Big Boy). Ten tickets were sold that morning, and the proceeds were split between the PMGA and the Farmer's Market. This could become an annual event!
Spring Garden Fair
Saturday, April 29, 2023
"April showers bring May flowers." After a few raindrops in the morning, the weather turned glorious for our annual Spring Garden Fair. Over 400 people visited the fair. Four different educational talks were available throughout the morning for attendees to choose from. Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting (Glasgow, KY) was on hand selling a wide variety of native plants. Numerous local vendors were onsite selling bedding plants and garden-themed wares. This year we even had 500 trees available to the public to take home for free!
How to Create Your Own Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat
Saturday, March 4, 2023
Jacob Crider, educator and naturalist at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve, shared with us his extensive knowledge of native plants for our region while emphasizing their importance for habitat management and environmental stewardship. We left with renewed enthusiasm for creating certified backyard wildlife habitats in our own yards by planting more keystone trees, native shrubs and flowers.
Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Service
Friday, December 2022
Community leaders, Hopkins County Extension Board and agents, along with members of the community gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking for the new facilities for the Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Service. Completion is slated for Spring 2024.