Not even a thunderstorm could keep 50-plus Master Gardeners from attending a recent outdoor event at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden, that honored four of their fellow volunteers.
However, not only were the 2022 recipients honored, but because of the pandemic, recipients from 2020 and 2021 were also recognized.
The 2020 honorees include Betsy Burlingame, Bev Dawson and Bruce Pape, and 2021 honorees were Teresa Bibler, Jan Danford, Laurel Moulton and Audreen Williams.
Those recognized for 2022 — with combined volunteer hours totalling more than 4,500 hours — include Jan Bartron, Barbara Heckard, John Viada and Diane Wheeler.
Bartron became a Master Gardener in 2012. Her love of gardening came from her grandmother, mother and aunt, who had large vegetable gardens. Jan currently spends her volunteer hours in the orchard at the Woodcock Demo Garden and the 5th Street Garden in Port Angeles.
Heckard took the Master Gardener training in 2013. Her husband suggested that she take the classes after her retirement from the educational field. She has spent countless hours conducting plant clinics, as well as assisting with the organization of the Spring Plant Sales, working on the home garden tours and sharing her knowledge of herbs.
Viada was a member of the Master Gardener Class of 2011. Since he was a teenager, he’s had dirt under his fingernails, having grown up on a farm. He has always had an interest in ornamental horticulture. After college graduation, Viada accepted a job at a wholesale nursery. Many of his most recent Master Gardener volunteer hours have been spent with the county weed control program.
Wheeler joined the 2013 Master Gardener training program, at the suggestion of her life partner Steve. Her interest in gardening can be traced back to being a youngster, with having a dad who just happened to be a florist. Rather than help with inside chores, she planted, watered, mowed and weeded outside. Wheeler has volunteered her time to the Petals and Pathways Garden Tours and has done a Brown Bag presentation on aphids. She currently is the editor of “Between the Vines,” the monthly newsletter for the Master Gardeners.
Marilynn Elliott was part of the Master Gardener Class of 2003.
