Robert W. Monk Gardens Newsletter
February 2014
It’s freezing outside, but now is a great time to start thinking
about spring and summer and the Robert W. Monk Gardens.
It’s like we’ve passed midnight on the seasonal clock and
dawn is only a few hours away!
The Garden Visions conference, reported below, got us off to
a great start with a spring mindset. We are pleased to report
several terrific contributions that will help us make the
Gardens an even more pleasant and fun place to enjoy this
spring and summer. And, as we prepare for a new season, keep in mind how you might get
involved—either as a board member or committee person—in making central Wisconsin’s only
public botanical garden a success.
January snow shoe event reset for Friday night, Feb. 7
Frigid weather prompted us to cancel our Jan. 31 luminary snowshoe walk at the Gardens and
reschedule it for Friday night, Feb. 7, 6-8 p.m. Snow shoe rental available along with hot
refreshments. . It’s a great family event. See you then!
Garden Visions 2014 Warmed
the Hearts of Many
During the frigid weekend of January 24-25, 2014, nearly
300 gathered at the UW Marathon Campus, to enjoy Garden
Visions and learn tips and insights for northern climate
gardening.
Overall, the event encompassed 11 workshops, 15 breakout
sessions and 19 speakers, including keynote Melinda
Myers—Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist with more than 30 years of
horticulture experience and a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine.
Along with national and regional speakers, the event featured educational exhibits, hands-on
workshops, a photography contest, door prizes/raffles, and onsite vendor booths touting lawn art,
handmade crafts, honey, breads, flowers, knit goods and books. Attendees had the opportunity to
make benches, vertical planters, and wreaths. They also learned new options for improving
lawns, create better vegetable gardens, discover new plants and flowers, and even take in some
yoga.
Other event highlights included:
• NCWMG and Monk Gardens donated 100 pounds of food and a check to the Neighbors Place
on behalf of Peyton's Place. The food and money was collected as part of a raffle drawing entry.
• A $1,000 check presented to the Robert W. Monk Gardens by the Master Gardeners of North
Central WI.
• Julie Burk-Miller, Wausau won the Grand Prize: a Lee Valley Garden Wagon and Side Racks.
• Barbara Bau of Stevens Point won the Monk Gardens gift basket ( photo above).
The event was co-sponsored by the North Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners, The Robert
Monk Botanical Gardens and the University of Wisconsin Extension.
New Trail Marker System by Eagle Scout Liam Bennett
When you walk or jog the trails through the Robert W. Monk Gardens this spring, you’ll notice a
system of new trail markers that let you know how far you’ve travelled. The markers, and an
accompanying map brochure, are the brainchild of Eagle Scout Liam Bennett, who along with
his colleagues at BS Troop 427, installed the markers last fall (photo at right, above)..
This was Liam’s Eagle Scout project. He GPS-mapped our trails, laid out the marker plan, made
the markers, and had them installed. At our January board meeting, the Garden’s directors
approved a proclamation of praise for Liam (photo at left above).
As a garden, we’ve benefitted many times from our local Boy Scouts. Other Eagle Scout projects
include the information board near the entrance to the Gardens, and a ramp making one of our
bridges accessible to all.
Free Guided Garden Tours, Saturday, February 8th and March 8th
Free guided tours will be held at the Robert W. Monk Gardens on Saturday, February 8th, and
again on Saturday, Match 8th between 9 am and noon (weather permitting). Come out to
discover the Gardens in winter.... No RSVP needed. Any updates due to inclement weather will
be posted on our Facebook page. Come out and see the progress as the Monk gardens continue
to grow.
Thanks, WPS!
The Robert W. Monk Gardens received a special New Year’s surprise in late January, as
Wisconsin Public Service Corp. (WPS) presented us with a check for $3,000 in unrestricted
funds to help us continue to improve the Gardens.
Presenting the check were (from left) Don Boulin and Kelly Zagrzebski of WPS. Monk Gardens
board president Vickie Richmond Hawkins and vice president Linda Grilley received the
generous gift.
We could use your help
As a community non-profit organization, the Robert W. Monk Gardens is only as strong as the
volunteers serving it. We could use your help. We are in need of a few visionary folks willing to
serve on our board of directors. We hold one 90-minute meeting each month. Several of our
board members also chair committees. You don’t have to be a gardener—just someone who
loves our community and wants to see it continue to improve.
We also need committee members. Our website (www.rwmonkgardens.org) lists our committee
structure. Committees meet basically once a month and help us in many ways-- directing our
marketing and finance efforts, planning the development of the physical grounds, coordinating
volunteer projects, among other projects.
Consider giving of your time. It’s a great project.
You can contact the Robert W. Monk Gardens president Vickie Richmond Hawkins
([email protected]) or go to the volunteer form on our website under the
Volunteers tab.
Pitch in! It’s fun!
Check us out on Facebook and Twitter, or our website at
www.rwmonkgardens.org