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Revised 7/2013

107 Mehrhof Hall PO Box 110675 Gainesville, FL 32611-0675 Phone: (352) 392-1831 ext. 331 Fax: (352) 392-1413 http://mastergardener.ifas.ufl.edu

Form 10

Florida Master Gardener Awards and Recognition Form Awards of Excellence Each county is allowed ONE ENTRY PER CATEGORY. Although your Master Gardener Coordinator may have been heavily involved in this effort, only the efforts of the Master Gardeners themselves are to be evaluated. Points will be deducted if it is perceived that most of the effort or submission of entry forms came from the Master Gardener Coordinator. Only efforts made since the last awards ceremony will be considered by the judges. Any new or recertified active Florida Master Gardener(s) are eligible. In the event your entry does not take top honors in this category this year, we would encourage you to improve your submission and resubmit your entry next year should you repeat or continue this project. If your project has won in ANY year, it CANNOT BE

REENTERED

again, despite any significant changes in format or participants. Judges for the awards shall be appointed by the State Master Gardener Program Leader, University of Florida. Decisions by the judges will be final.

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT

SEE BELOW FOR APPLICATION CRITERIA:

The correct and completed award application forms including:

A typed application form not to exceed 3 pages in length. Supporting materials (where

requested may be additional pages)

o The three pages must include the 150 word project summary.

12 point font

No more than 8 photographs in addition to the three pages of text. (Photos no larger than 8 x

10)

This form typed and completed including: appropriate category checked

Name of MG Coordinator (The coordinator must approve application prior to admission)

Application, photos and supporting materials must all be in PDF format and packaged into

one document. Submissions are to be emailed to: twichman@ufl.edu

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County: Martin ............................................................................................................................................... Name of Project: Halpatiokee Regional lPark “La Florida” Wildflower Planting ............................................................................................................................... Project start date: .March 13, 2012........................................ Project end date: Planted December 3, 2012....ongoing......................................................... Name of person(s) typing application: Ann McCormick ......................................................................................................................... Name or names of Master Gardeners preparing application: Ann McCormick ............... ..................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................... Name of Agent: Yvette Goodiel............................................................................................................................................................ Revised 7/2013

CATEGORY: Indicate only one category per entry form. You must assign your entry to a specific

category to be considered for an award in that category. Entries are limited to the categories indicated below. _x__ Form 11 Beautification __ Form 18 Personal Communications ___ Form 12 Demonstration Garden __ Form 19 Service to 4-H and other youth ___ Form 13 Educational Materials Development __ Form 20 Special Audiences ___ Form 14 Extension Awareness __ Form 22 Written or Verbal Mass Comm. ___ Form 15 County Displays/Exhibits __ Form 23 County Master Gardener Newsletter ___ Form 16 General Achievement ___ Form 17 Outstanding Master Gardener Email PDF Applications to: Tom Wichman twichman@ufl.edu

TO BE ELIGIBLE ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY AUGUST 19, 2013

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Revised 7/2013

107 Mehrhof Hall

PO Box 110675

Gainesville, FL 32611-0675

Phone: (352) 273-4521

Fax: (352) 392-1413 http://mastergardener.ifas.ufl.edu

Form 11

FLORIDA MASTER GARDENER

BEAUTIFICATION/ ENHANCEMENT AWARD This award recognizes the Master Gardener(s) who has or has made the effort to beautify and

enhance their community. It is based on the creation of new plantings or modifying existing plantings

which can be either exterior or interior landscapes.

The award criterion follows. The narrative is limited to three pages with a font no smaller than 12

point. You may add up to eight photos no larger than 8 x 10 in size Forms must be emailed in PDF

format to twichman@ufl.edu. Remember to include Form 10 with your entry. Entrants are limited

to the category they indicate on that form.

1. Scope of landscaping project - Designs or plans for modification which are both practical for the

area(s) and functional. Who were the potential audiences who might benefit from this project? Please

provide a list of all Master Gardeners who participated in this project. (30 points). See attached

narrative page 4 of composite

2. Horticultural Accuracy - Correct choice of plants and materials for the area; the right plant for the

right place. (30 points). See attached narrative page 4 of composite

3. Maintenance - Ease and method(s) including long-range plans for on-going maintenance with

names of person(s) or group(s) responsible (15 points). See attached narrative page 4 of

composite

4. Accomplishment - How many people participated in the project and their duties, written account

with pictures (optional) of the situation before and after completion of the project and the publicity

received? What was the potential impact on the community or audience as the result of these efforts?

(25 points). See attached narrative page 5 of composite

5. A 150 word (or less) summary of your project so that we can let others know of your

accomplishments. Your application will NOT be judged without this summary included. See

attached narrative page 6 of composite

Please add a few paragraphs describing any problems you encountered or things you might change if

you were to do the project again.

See attached narrative page 6 of composite

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Halpatiokee Regional Park “La Florida, Land of Flowers” Wildflower Planting

Scope of the landscaping project –The entry medians of Halpatiokee Regional Park were

chosen, for a “La Florida, Land of Flowers” Community Wildflower Planting. The entry, a

highly visible area in this busy park, was in need of restoration and beautification. The park is

used by hundreds of residents and visitors each week for sports, recreation, and daily park-and-

ride. The two medians are each 130’ x 16’, giving a 4160 sq. ft. planting area. Beyond the

medians there is a 100 ft. diameter roundabout containing several oak trees. Open areas of the

roundabout were also considered in the plan; however, the committee decided to use all of the

seeds in the medians for better coverage. The available native species were researched as

detailed under horticultural accuracy. Twenty-six Martin County Master Gardeners contributed

to this project: Jody Borecki, Sharon Brossman, Hannah Bush, Florence Chatowsky, Jan

Crandall, Sandra Decker, Patricia DiEgedio, Ginny Douglass, Donita Enright, Jean Foley, Mary

Ann Gans, Gabriella Guettler, Ann Horne, Sandra Lagana, Ann McCormick, Elaine McKelvey,

Tess Murphy, Jean Noe, Linda Pierr, Geri Pileggi, Nancy Rad, Peggy Sargeant, Cyndy

Trossbach, Melinda Twichell, Wendy Womble, and Mark Worden.

Horticultural Accuracy - The grant provides payment for either seeds from the Florida

Wildflower Growers Cooperative, or plants from the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, in

the amount of $500. With 4160 sq. ft. to cover the committee decided to purchase seeds. The

available native seed species were researched to identify those known to grow in hardiness zones

9b and 10. Other criteria involved drought tolerance, selection of varieties to provide year-round

color, and eliminating wetland plants which would not be suitable in this level roadway median

with good drainage. The species chosen are: Berlandiera subacaulis / Florida Greeneyes,

Chamaecrista fasciculate / Partridge Pea, Conoclinium coelestinum, / Blue Mist Flower,

Coreopsis levenworthii / Leavenworth’s Tickseed, Eragrostis spectabilis / Purple Love Grass,

Flaveria linearis / Yellowtops or False Goldenrod, Gaillardia pulchella / Blanketflower,

Helenium amarum / Bitterweed, Ipomopsis rubra/ Standing Cypress or Spanish Larkspur, Liatris

chapmanii / Chapmans Blazing Star, Liatris gracilis / Slender Blazing Star, Mimosa strigillosa /

Sunshine Mimosa, Scutellaria integtifolia / Helmet Skullcap, Vernonia augustifolia / Narrowleaf

Ironweed, Argemone albiflora / White Prickly Poppy, Helenium autumnale / Sneezeweed,

Monarda punctata / Spotted Bee Balm.

Maintenance – The maintenance of native plants in environments suited to them is minimal.

Regular mowing by the Parks Department is not needed, in fact restricted by the grant to the

winter months. Irrigation needs are also minimal once established, and fertilization is not

needed. The wildflowers should freely reseed and spread into the roundabout in time. Martin

County Master Gardeners continue to observe the site on a monthly basis, documenting with

photographs, and weeding as needed, which has been minimal.

Accomplishment - Martin County Master Gardener Ann McCormick took the lead on this

project beginning with presenting the idea to community organizations for support, bringing a

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resolution supporting the planting of wildflowers in our parks and roadsides to the County Board

of Commissioners, and speaking in favor at the March 13, 2012 Commissioners meeting where

the resolution was adopted. She included other community gardening groups, the Florida Native

Plant Society and the Garden Club of Stuart, inviting them to make this a community gardening

endeavor with Master Gardeners coordinating the educational components. Members of all three

groups contacted their commissioners in favor of the resolution, and a committee representing

the three organizations worked with the Martin County Parks and Recreation Department

horticulturist F. Chandler Doolity to identify the best area to plant. Ann also worked with the

Martin County Parks and Recreation Department on the grant application. The entry medians of

Halpatiokee Regional Park were chosen, a highly visible area in this busy park in need of

restoration and beautification. The park is used by hundreds of residents and visitors each week

for sports, recreation, and daily park-and-ride. In June 2012 a $500 “La Florida, Land of

Flowers” Community Planting Grant from the Florida Wildflower Foundation was awarded to

the Martin County Parks and Recreation Department and the UF/IFAS Martin County Master

Gardeners to purchase wildflower seeds. As mentioned above, the committee researched the

appropriate seeds to order for our area of Florida. Florida native plant author Rufino Osorio was

also consulted. Martin County Master Gardeners offer quarterly gardening related lectures to the

public. The September lecture featuring Mr. Osorio speaking on the native wildflowers we

chose, and serving as a kick-off to inform the public about the project, drew an audience of 80,

the largest yet in our new lecture series. The Parks Department did preventive maintenance on

the in-ground irrigation system and prepared the site with chemical removal of non-native

vegetation. On December 3, 2012 thirty-two volunteers from the three groups spread and raked

in the wildflower seeds, following directions provided by the Florida Wildflower Foundation. A

week later several flats of plants from a summer trial shade house seeding were planted into the

medians. This gave an early start on blossoms as the seedlings began to emerge. Martin County

Master Gardeners continue to observe the site on a monthly basis, documenting with

photographs, and weeding as needed which has been minimal. As we said in the grant

application, the formal structure of the park entry medians and the paver roadway of the

roundabout contrast nicely with the natural growth of wildflowers, demonstrating to the public

how nicely they can be used in applications one might not have considered. Several species of

wildflowers have been in full bloom in the medians since February 2013. The public is enjoying

them, people ask for information to plant them in their yards. We regularly see reader submitted

photos of them in our local newspaper. The Martin County Parks and Recreation Department is

pleased as well. In the spring of 2013 they supported UF/IFAS Martin County Extension

Service’s successful application for another “La Florida, Land of Flowers” wildflower planting

grant. Thirty-six volunteers participated in this project; twenty-six of them are Florida Master

Gardeners. The partnership of 4 groups enhanced communication, resource, and knowledge

sharing among the groups involved, and all learned a new to us method of planting that was

successful. The $500 seed grant was matched with volunteer time, 64 hours on the day of

planting alone, plus additional hours of planning, observation, and maintenance.

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Summary – Martin County Master Gardeners partnered with the Martin County Parks and

Recreation Department and two garden clubs to plant native Florida wildflowers in county parks.

They worked for the passage of a county resolution in support of planting wildflowers in county

parks and roadsides, and successfully applied for a 2012 “La Florida, Land of Flowers”

community planting grant to purchase native wildflower seeds. The Martin County Master

Gardeners coordinated all aspects of the project, led by Master Gardener Ann McCormick. They

researched the available seed species to determine the right seeds to choose for a south Florida

planting in a sunny roadway median that is level with good drainage and subject to drought

conditions. Thirty-two volunteers planted the seeds in December 2012 and continue to obse rve

the site providing maintenance as needed. The public is enjoying the native wildflowers and

asking for information to plant them in their yards.

What we might do differently – We found that the species we chose were difficult to mix

together and distribute using hand held rotary seeders. Some seeds fell to the bottom and were

distributed quickly over a small area. Others were fluffy and clogged the opening of the seeder.

We wound up strewing them by hand. We would plan in the future to strew each variety

separately across the area to be seeded. Glyphosate treatment eliminated actively growing

grasses and weeds, not those that lie dormant in November, the time of application. A weed

control treatment during the previous summer might have helped prevent the appearance of some

of the weeds that emerged in the newly planted site.

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We consulted Florida native plant author Rufino Osorio about our selection of seeds. In

September 2012 we sponsored a lecture featuring Mr. Osorio speaking on the native

wildflowers we chose. This event was our kick-off, informing the public about the project.

The lecture drew an audience of 80, the largest yet in our new lecture series. Clipping from

the Stuart News.

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Volunteers from Martin County Master Gardeners, the Garden Club of Stuart, and the

Florida Native Plant Society turned out to plant wildflower seeds at Halpatiokee Regional

Park on December 3, 2013. Photo by Jody Borecki.

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Some of the 32 volunteers who helped spread seed and rake it into the soil. Photo by Jody

Borecki

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This article covering the wildflower project appeared in the “Your News” feature of the

newspaper . Press releases are submitted by the coordinator, volunteer members

contributed to the content. Clipping from the Stuart News.

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In February the wildflowers began to bloom. Partridge pea is predominant in this photo,

also Blue mistflower and Coreopsis were beginning to bloom. Photo by Ann McCormick

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In June the medians were full of blossoms. Gaillardia and Tickseed Coreopsis

predominate, among the other species in bloom are Yellowtops, Sneezeweed, Helmet

Scullcap, and Florida Greeneyes. Photo by Ann McCormick.

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This photo by reader Mark Hewlett that appeared in the Stuart News on May 7, 2013

demonstrates community appreciation of the project.

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Martin County Master Gardeners and their partners in this project were honored with a

2013 Environmental Stewardship nomination in recognition of planting wildflowers in

Halpatiokee Park, which not only beautify the area, but reduce the use of water, fertilizer,

herbicides and insecticide preserving Martin County’s natural resources.