Having completed their Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) course requirements and 50 volunteer hours, fifteen Secrest Arboretum MGV interns are now fully certified as Secrest
MGVs. Although they have varied interests and backgrounds, they share a love of gardening and an appreciation of nature’s wonders. Their enthusiasm and knowledge add to the extensive value of Secrest Arboretum. The new class of 15 includes Martha Belden, Karen Brenner, Sandra Chenal, Darby Duncan, Doug Eck, David Griffith, Kristen Harmon, Gary Horrisberger, Lee Horrisberger, Esther Kulenich, Michael Lilburn, Tabatha Miller, Carol Millhoan, Cynthia Whitford, and Mark Wiest. In Part 3, we spotlight Michael Lilburn, Tabatha Miller, Carol Millhoan, Cynthia Whitford, and Mark Wiest.
Please meet the final members of this class:
Michael Lilburn
A seasonal vegetable gardener “using a modified minimal till approach,” Michael Lilburn emphasizes herbs, garlic, and tomatoes in his large garden. He also includes “a mix of the usual salad greens and seasonal fruits.” His final MGV class project presented the concept of no-till gardening. Mike volunteered for the seasonal produce distribution organization, A Whole Community, and at periodic Secrest events. He shares his love of gardening with his wife, Master Gardener Nancy Lilburn.
Tabatha Miller
In the flower beds around her home, Tabatha Miller loves to plant “a rolling season display.” As “an added joy,” she incorporates “bits of garden art to draw in the eye and animals.” She enjoys planting perennials, especially lavender and daisies, and she likes to include annuals in layered pots on her porches and patio. Her final MGV project, “Garden Art and Companion Planting,” emphasized the value of companion planting for weed and insect control and displayed how she uses her artwork “to help animals and insects.” The bulk of her volunteer hours came from working with the MGV group at the Wayne County Fair.
Carol Millhoan
Carol Millhoan’s gardening practices focus on landscaping. She has developed an interest and expertise propagating trillium and incorporating them into the landscape. Her final MGV project was an instructive session on the plant itself, its conservation, and how to grow it in the garden. Carol’s volunteer hours included working at plant sales, the garden fair, in the Secrest gardens, and helping with the Secrest echinacea pollinator trial. She especially enjoys working with the Secrest “Wednesday Weeders,” stating, “Fundamentally, active work outside in nature with like-minded people fills me with joy.”
Mark Wiest
Mark Wiest enjoys “propagating indoor plants, container gardening, and developing flower gardens on our property.” He has a strong interest in attracting pollinators to his gardens with native plants such as Joe Pye weed, butterfly weed, rose milkweed, and cup plants. For his final MGV project, he brought a variety of indoor plants to the session and explained how to care for them. Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, he remembers visiting nearby Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania as a child and hopes as a retiree to “go back and tour Longwood, Winterthur, and Mt. Cuba.” He accumulated volunteer hours working on various Secrest projects and giving talks about indoor plants.
Cynthia Witford
Although she “loves everything about gardening,” Cynthia Witford enjoys developing new areas and beautifying basic yards and underdeveloped areas.” She has combined her interest in both flower and vegetable gardens by planting parsley and Swiss chard among her flowers. Her MGV final project “Planting Native Plants and their Role in your Garden” was designed to instruct “the common homeowner about adding native plants for beauty, diversification, and as a ‘filler’ in the yard.” She enjoys traveling to view gardens. The majority of her required volunteer hours were fulfilled at the Akron Metro Parks.
–Pat Warner, Master Gardener Volunteer