The Colorado Master Gardener Program: Planting Gardens, Growing People

CMG Outreach in Chaffee County
Water Wise Landscape Design Training

Background

As an adult education graduate school student and apprentice Colorado Master Gardener, Susan Pence was interested in finding a project that could satisfy her requirements for a program planning course and share her passion for gardening.  After some local evaluation, Susan and Kurt partnered with Laura Yost, Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments, to provide the current USDA/Rural Development Mutual Self-Help Housing Participants with knowledge and tools for the required landscaping of their new homes.  This group was building six homes together in Canon City, Colorado.

Based on the Colorado Master Gardener curriculum, Water Wise Landscape Design authored by David Whiting, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University Kurt and Susan designed a 3-hour classroom course with a follow-up, hands-on “class” at the families’ homes.  The classroom portion emphasized the 7 principles of Water Wise Gardening and prepared the homeowners to design their landscapes for approval from USDA/Rural Development.  The follow-up portion showed these homeowners how to install their landscape materials.

     Photo: Classroom portion of Water Wise Landscape Design Training. (Courtesy of Susan Pence)

Previous participants of the program had installed minimal landscaping for their homes (Picture 1).  Based on the desire to improve the program and landscaping for this group of homeowners, Yost was excited to partner with CSU Extension and the Colorado Master Gardeners.

     Photo: Typical landscaping of Self-Help Housing homeowners prior
     to course (Courtesy of Laura Yost).

Impacts

All of the homeowners had their designs submitted within 4 days of the class, and all of the designs were accepted the first time.  The first day of installation was held 3 weeks after plan approval, giving homeowners an opportunity to purchase materials and CSU Extension a chance to organize additional volunteers to assist with the installation education.

     Photo: Typical landscaping of Self-Help Housing
     homeowners participating on WWLD Project
     (Courtesy of Laura Yost).

When we were on-site, the general contractor commented that this group of homeowners were the most knowledgeable and had the best landscaping designs of any of the previous groups that he had worked with. In follow-up evaluations, respondents said that the most memorable aspects of the class were the soil improvement and irrigation portions of the course. One respondent was very appreciative of the CMG’s on-site help, saying that she did not feel confident in her ability to install the materials before our assistance.

One item that came out of the evaluations was the suggestion to come on-site before installation to assist homeowners with staking and laying out (transferring from the paper to the landscape).  This would have speeded up the installation and better-utilized the homeowners’ and CMG’s time on installation day.  Additional information on budgeting will also be emphasized in future classes as these homeowners have very stringent budgets they need to follow.

Contact Us

CSU Extension, Chaffee County Office
10165 County Road 120
Salida, CO 81201-9404
Phone: 719-539-6447
Fax: 719-539-6151
Email: coopext_chaffee@mail.ext.colostate.edu

CMG Staff

• Kurt Jones, County Director at 719-539-6447