On June 21st, Purdue Master Gardeners gathered together in Sellersburg, IN to begin the 2019 Purdue Master Gardener State Tour. This year’s tour was sponsored by Sunnyside Master Gardener Association of Southern Indiana, Purdue Extension Floyd County, and the Purdue Master Gardener State Office. Three different tours were offered, highlighting various gardens in Southern Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky.
Before the tours departed Sellersburg, Matt Bizzell, director of horticulture at Churchill Downs, discussed all the work involved in keeping the grounds beautiful leading up to the Kentucky Derby and after. This includes growing 25,000 plants in the 12,000 square-foot Horticultural Center, and working 90 to 95 hours during Derby Week.
Stops on Tour 1 included Hidden Hill Sculpture Gardens, Lincliff Gardens, and Falls of the Ohio State Park. Tour 2 toured the Sunnyside Master Gardener Gardens at the Georgetown Optimist Club, Turtle Run Winery, and Whitehall Gardens. Tour 3 visited Yew Dell Botanical Gardens, the Avish Gardens, and various community gardens in downtown Albany, Indiana.
All tours reconvene at the Purdue Technology Center in New Albany, where the Sunnyside Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens were exhibited. Here the volunteers explored the Ornamental Grass Garden, the Sensory Garden, and the Bee Haven Garden. There were information booths about the Bluebird Trails Team, who won second place in the Educational Service Workshop Division in the 2015 Purdue Master Gardener Search for Excellence Awards, and the Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Team, winner of the Educational Service Workshop Division of the 2018 Purdue Master Gardener Search for Excellence Awards.
The Purdue MG State Office would like to express appreciation to the 2019 State Tour planning committee (https://www.sunnysidemg.org/smg-leadership), Gina Anderson, Extension Educator, Floyd County, and all of the Sunnyside Master Gardeners for their excellent work on this very successful state tour! Thank you for “Helping Others Grow”!
For more information about the 2019 Purdue MG Tour, visit https://www.sunnysidemg.org/2019-master-gardener-state-tour.
Formal gardens at Lincliff
Water garden at Lincliff
Tree lined walkway at Lincliff
Shade garden at Lincliff
Sculpture at Hidden Hills Nursery
Sculpture at Hidden Hills Nursery
Gardens at Hidden Hills Nursery