MASTER GARDENER?
Has it become time to challenge that rank?

As the son of a German "Master Cabinet" maker I have always been astonished at the ease that Northwest gardeners manage to become “Masters" of a field, I have worked decades in, to attain the same ranking.

Most martial arts such as Judo and Karate have benchmarks for such “belts” or accomplished achievements. Aikido, I struggled with, same with Tai-Chi. It is my understanding that even the flower arts such as Ikebana have similar rankings. They are all standardized, to be learned, exhibited in shows and tested upon by curmudgeons such as my self.

Given the opportunity to practice latinic warfare on box store garden employees, this is one of the joys of my life -- but mostly I am left gasping. Nematodes, that they are selling in Feb. freezing weather. I complement them on their stocking but question the timing. The clerk answers – “What are Nematodes?” Comments made to plants that are wilting, or might be needing freeze protection. “Ya bud, That’s a problem, fur sure.”

I view these ignoramuses as being totally unredeemable. That said, I expect more of those participants in gardening who usually are intelligent and subscribe to the “MASTER GARDENER” badge.

These people should be avoided, or at best upgraded upon their weight or rank. Not wanting to get into percentage of body fat-- I still believe that their level of training or experience in gardening should be put to the test.

The criteria might be of accomplishments or simply a matter of political survival within the club. Being a possible V.P. of my Bonsai club I have come to see how tenuous that type of gardener Wassail test might be. Requirements should therefore be of accomplishments:

White Belt -- LaLa land neophytes recently planted into the world of gardening, can even spel gardening correctly and has read a Weeders Digest Gardening book or magazine other than Opra, Ann Loveluck, or the Martha Stewart.
Yellow Belt -- Can begin to identify deciduous plants vs. conifers. If owning plants, has planted them in the garden and has kept half of them alive through one garden season. Bad winters are no excuse.
Orange Belt -– Has begun to subscribe to Horticulture magazine and similar ilk. The gardener has begun to understand curves, triangles and reasons for the garden design and sometimes does it correctly.
Purple Belt -– The “Master Gardener” has kept all the exotic plants he or she has bought from mail order frauds alive for two years. They are beginning to understand death and disease in the garden. Mercy killing of problem purchases has begun.
Blue Belt – The gardener finally understands and has begun to propagate their own stock rather than buying from expensive Internet sources. I would call it the Perlite Belt myself. Believing that they now know it all, these Blue Belts begin to give expert advice at local box stores, or volunteer to be docents at “gardens of interest.” They even charge loot for the later.
Green Belt – Humility begins to set in and they realize that they do not know it all, regardless of the number of horticultural subscriptions. You now just concentrate on what you have. Advanced members may have Mood balls strategically placed in the garden, Face gardens and other such decor. Nonetheless, they know their bugs and diseases. They also begin to exercise serious potting ability and begin to throw exquisite creations around the garden.
Brown Belt – Most of their garden is photograph-able, showing if not full Wonderment, but something with excellent potential. Sometimes, this is black belt class. The owner allows the hired help some input into their designs, appreciating apprenticeships and lower rank potentials. At this point they begin to specialize – Bonsai, Koi ponds and water features, Rock gardens. They have finally understood all fertilizer, re- potting needs and choice of décor and pots. These "Master Gardeners" have also completed a serious Pest Applicators Licence.
Black Belt -- Even undressed, this rank understands all the climate zones of the garden. Has stood naked in all corners of the garden through a freezing night just to test the measure of their domain. Finger pinches cuttings, without anyone noticing, even in Botanical gardens or at the National Arboretum. Instinctive disease, fertilizer, watering control and can give a speech about
anything at a moments notice. Sometimes these guys are so chlorophyll loaded that they are viewed as being less than warm blooded. Intruders such as deer vanish upon hearing their soft footed but deadly appearance.

These would be the Darth Vaders of the Master Gardeners. To date, none have come knocking on my door. Romulans also had green blood!

Whatever garden belt level you are at, you are appreciated. Dropouts at most of those dojo’s are because the instructors did not understand the individual. All of us learn at different levels, some by example, others by text or by picture. They are all AHAH’S and we should remember that when we try to attract new members , no matter what club it may be. Please read the next post as I am equally critical of my own profession -- the Nursery Profession.

Editing this in the light of day I realize that I had erred. Belts like worn around Judo or Karate Gi's would not show up while sitting behind a desk at a Costco or Wallmart. Boy Scout Merit badges would be much more visible. Similar graduations from Tenderblister to GreenThumb Palm. I still remember those expensive Sashes. Simple belts such as worn in the "martial arts could also be worn in that fashion. I will bring the same idea up at our next Bonsai Group meeting. I think the membership would prefer the more cost-effective alternative. Nursery employees could be awarded colored scabers to hold their shears.

© 2009 Herb Senft

A former Boyscout, a green belt in Bonsai and a brown belt in Horticulture.

For my own candidate for a "Master Gardener" please visit "Remembrances." It is a reflection of one of a handful of exquisite gardeners I have been blessed to work for. Although Bita's garden was never on a tour, four other gardens I helped create have been so used. Annie Hofius, Ruth Doyle, the Miners and a recent bed and breakfast. I always find it sad, that the new owners do not mention the blood, sweat and bones that they had inherited, and from whom.

A Nurseryman replies to the Master Gardener.

I received this from another nurseryman, another County ... so I am not alone in my questioning the appropriateness of the name. "Certified Gardeners," "Ag. Extension Agents" would be far more palatable to me.

"Very entertaining! The belts that you propose have a lot to offer -- your descriptions of their progression are not only entertaining, but also very logical.

I have similar issues with much of the Master Gardener program. It is interesting that it began in Washington State and, not that long ago. Here in my County, its main purpose seems to be to help people who have recently arrived, make friends. The emphasis is not as much on gardening as it is on social interaction. The proof of this is that so few of the people, who have joined, remain members for very long. Typically, a person joins, is active for about three years and then drops out. They get what they wanted or needed, primarily making a few friends, plus the side benefit of learning a little about how to garden in our climate. and then leave. You would be amazed at the total number of people who have gone through the local Master Gardener program in our county.
(EDIT -- this holds true for our Bonsai Club as well!)

Delusion has always, and will always, play a major role in our culture. We delude ourselves into buying something, by wanting to believe it is something better than what it is. It is much easier for the overseers of the Master Gardener program (the County Extension agents) to get new members by turning new members into "master gardeners," rather than what they really are, something more accurately described as either "novice gardeners,” or "amateur gardeners."

There really should be nothing wrong with being a novice. But for Americans there is, sad to say. In some other countries, the title of "amateur" is held in much higher esteem than it is here. In England especially, some of the most knowledgeable people in a field are the amateurs. Although he was a fictional person, Sherlock Holmes, makes a good example of the sort of "amateur" that the British place in high esteem.

I would make a guess that most of the people in the general population know even less about gardening than the average Master Gardener. And for them, a person calling himself or herself a Master Gardener does not look ridiculous. An indication that this is true, is that the Master Gardener clinics that are held every Saturday actually do get a stream of people needing help. The general population does not consider "Master Gardener" as ridiculous a title as do you or I. You and I might know that the so called expert help at those clinics is sometimes way off the mark, but for someone who knows even less, it may not appear so bad."

cheers, xxx

"You and I might know that the so called expert help at those clinics is sometimes way off the mark, but for someone who knows even less, it may not appear so bad."

You and I, have both seem how far off the mark some of them are. I have often been left speechless at hearing the manure droppings being handed out as pearls of wisdom. I corrected a few now and then, and the speaker looked down her nose at me and said, but "I am a "Master Gardener." I responded you are delusional!

That said, I would throw many Nursery employees and landscapers in the same boat. I responded to follow these comments with my own.

As for the "moving through " the program to simply suck out what one can ... we have the very same in the Bonsai group. One lady came for a year, and brought in a plant every month, all to be worked on by her mentor. When all of her plants had been worked on, she quit. All groups have members who fit that bill.

I must caution that cynicism with the thought that although the former post was a kaopectal exercise of the night, it may have some truth in it. Many clubs including the former have a difficult time in retaining, much less recruiting members. They join and leave after a year. We assume that they have simply sponged off what they need and so drift away. It might well be that the "White Belt" neophyte, (a terrible Ann Lovejoy description) simply decided that they had a black thumb after all. Or in the Bonsai world, that they had killed off enough of their favorite trees to begin worrying about their karma. Gardening of any sort is difficult, and without enough of a buddy system, many just quit. My quirky idea actually has merit, as providing reward to achievement does to any endeavor.

Having to buy new colored Gi's would be very expensive, so Judo and Karate devotees had a brainwave. Simply color the belts differently. Many suspect that the "white" to "black" may also have simply become a matter of lack of washing. Wearing a different "colored" badge, like the under washed belt, would be far simpler and hygienic, much like Scout merit badges and sashes.

For the moment, I cannot lampoon my Bonsai members in the same way. We have, I suspect four black belt members, but they are very polite and do not push their weight or expertise, at or over you. They are much Tai Chi. An absent black belter, is missed by some of the members. Some of that is "prestige." did you know that the Dungeness Bonsai Society has __ ___ ___ _ as a member? It has been over a decade and perhaps he has changed. Like leaves dropping from branches, we all need new beginnings.

The email from another Nursery was timely as I was going to edit that post to include my own irks for Nursery employees. I had forgotten to upgrade "belts," say if the Master Gardener had taken a Pest Advisors course."

In the Seventies, our Nursery in Santa Cruz had some 11-13 people. Nine had C.A.N. certifications, and I was on the committee that created that test. To my chagrin, my own assistant-manager failed it the first time around. At this stage in my life I suspect I would fail as well. We also had three employees’ with Pest advisor licenses and two with Applicator Licenses.

Aside from Neal and his wife (McComb Nursery) and Diana of a Port Angeles nursery. I do not think we have many active brown belt Nursery-persons. Shore Rd. Nursery and Roger and Susan of Sequim Rare Plants have gone on furlow and the latter is only selling mail order. What a loss! Bainbridge Island has a deeper wealth of knowledgeable plants men. Personally, I have known a few black belts such as the Kruckenbergs and Nevin Smith of Watsonville.
Dan Hinkley may be another, but he would be a good example of the Darth Vader black belt.




Not easy to make out, but all of these conifers are infested by horsetail and euphorbia! Even less easy to take out!

LANDSCAPERS! I am totally outraged with the group in general. All of my customers are talented and dedicated gardeners but are relatively new to the Pacific Northwest. Their landscapers put in excellent looking designs, but they are full of flaws. Invasive plants such as Euphorbia, Phygelius etc. They planted large trees four feet away from the house and put in plants that would need constant pruning back, such as the common Escallonia, rather than putting in the dwarf form.

Not only is this costing those customers much loot in hiring ME to prune them TWICE every year, but I also need to dispose of them, which is costly. I estimate that 75 percent of my work in one of these gardens has been in the eradication of these mistakes. That is a very costly edit! My own bank is a good example!

The nice looking landscape at the new First Federal Bank of Sequim (the closeup picture above) is beautiful to look at from the street, until you get in its face. One then sees that it is full of horsetail and that the plantings are being overwhelmed by euphorbia. I even commented on the sad state of their landscape when I opened up the account. The lady said, funny you said that; another one of our customers said the same thing. Perhaps it was a Master Gardener.

It is very sad that landscapers do their installations with no concern about future up-keep or the cost of it. Neither did any of them offer to do a maintenance contract. They put in what they could easily get, or had extra of. Even worse they often plug in way too many plants, as the more stuck in, the more they get paid. The nurseries supplying the plants are always willing to oblige. The final failing grade for the Nurseries, being -- mislabeled hardiness labels, the selling of invasive plants and assuring people that questionable plants are hardy. Even brown belted Nurseryman are guilty of that!

This winter was a moderately bad one. I have seen much worse. Nearly all of my gardens had costly damage. My advice! Trust none of the above and do your own research. If you do not ask the questions, or do your research before hiring or buying, you can get yourself into years of costly labor or plant replacement bills. A a Bonsai member added in my Bonsai blog, ..." you rejoice about them twice: first when you establish them, and next when you succeed in getting rid of them!"

One last thought. The reason that these people do these ghastly things is often because of "appearance." If the landscaper brought and installed the same 20.00 dwarf plant, instead of the super-sized version, you would squawk at that puny critter! The typical homeowner wants instant gratification and usually that is what is supplied. Three years later, they discover the pain for what they have bought.

That is no excuse, but I have been down the sub-contract road and have seen customers who could spend 30,000 dollars in plant material and balk at paying for 500.00 dollars of soil amendments, or raising the soil level above the clay. As a result, the landscaper plants into pure Sunland clay. Five years later they die and the contractor is off the hook, or has left town!

SIZE for bucks was always the biggest issue. I lost one job to a local when I refused to plant a FOREST of Douglas Fir (against covenant height restrictions) on a 12,000 ft. lot, as well as being over a septic field. Another landscaper, stepped in, planted the owners wishes and even added a Giant Sequioa. Go Figure!
To return to the above high-lighted quote, I totally agree!

My own advice comfort level would be in descending order.

Good books or magazines about gardening.
State Certified Nursery employees
Master Gardeners -- many nursery employees (nearly equal)
Internet blogs such as this.
T.V. or radio plant guru's --the Martha Stewarts. BBC Gardeners World exempted.
Most "hired" expert Gardeners. "Have secateurs, will travel."
Landscapers

Check out the maintenance that the gardener does for this landscape. Simply Dogpatch! These other Euphorbias need their seedheads cut back ALL THE WAY to the plant, furthermore they were not cut back until they had seeded. This second year weed plant will now appear in droves throughout the conifer landscape -- and they are near impossible to weed out!



When you see something like this, do ask the institution or homeowner: Who did it? Who is maintaining it? Then avoid them like the plague! If good, reward them with your business!

(C) 2009 Herb Senft

MASTERS OF LIFE -- Memories of THREE UCSC MASTERS

UCSC 1969-1972

Many of us realize that as you learn more you feel that you are just scratching the surface and that we really don't know much at all. Who really is a "Master"?" There are many university and college "professors" out there that are terrible in the classroom. That is not the focus of their training in the first place -- that would be research. They do not get promoted or hired or fired on the basis of teaching either, in my experience. So, it turns into a chore, not a profession. Graduate students teaching classes at UCSC also fell into that category.
I fortunately slipped into some exceptional instructors, both in languages and in Religious Studies. Mind you, I had entered college on a Teachers scholarship, thanks to the wonderful teachers in San Lorenzo, CA. One year later, I returned it … having become fully immersed, literally in Psychology.

Curiously, some of my Religious Studies instructors became involved in my work at Agnews State Hospital and in the community. I owe much to UCSC so my own MASTERS in LIFE must include Dr. Lewis Keizer of UCSC. Not only was he a teacher of Religious Studies he also and was also a great musician. and a personal mentor. He became a major life advisor and encouraged to try Aikido. Later these two men and Paul Lee, granted me an Independent Psychology Religious Study. It evolved into my working in Mental Hospitals in Boston; including Mass. General. Robert Frager was a UCSC professor of psychology and religious studies. He was also one of the first sensei to teach Aikido. I must confess that I did much better in his 1970 classes, than I ever did on the mats. To this day, I remember his test of this testosterone-laden bloke. He invited anyone to do attempt a block tackle on him. He would not defend himself!

Having done well in Judo for years and seeing a man not heavier than myself, I took it upon myself to knock him flat. I ran at him at full bore, and BANG I hit an unmovable brick wall KI!

I succeeded in rebounding and knocking myself flat.

Carol, my girl friend at that time took to it like a duck to water. She was an incredible dancer (majoring in modern Dance); she was also fully double jointed. I use that as my excuse. She and Linda Holiday (read link above) understood the concept of ki. and the connection between mind and body. I was more interested in connection of body to body. Needless to say, I got wacked. Today I remain ki- challenged and Linda became a 6th dan sensei. and is the main instructor at UCSC.

Decades later the same fate would occur when I slipped into Tai Chi. (Taiji chaun) Always good exercise and supposedly it keeps the mind clear, for the most part. Nancy I lived in a grid free log cabin and our neighbors Steve and Lorelei taught Tai Chi. I was okay on the physical side, but could never get into the dance of the forms. My partner excelled! Sigh, three shots at the martial arts, and I was a failure in two and master of none.
All of this surfaced after a fellow enthusiast encouraged me to investigate Tai Chi. I doubt it was deliberate cruelty on his part, but he added the following note about “Masters.”

"I learn something new from each instructor and interaction with other serious students. Americans know little about the concept of "Master" and what this means. This include trades, martial arts, academics, you name it." He then recommended that I read a book Outliers: The Story of Success. ... Malcolm Gladwell says success depends not only on brains and drive, but also on where we come from — and what we do about it. I checked it out and found the author comments that mastering anything in life takes about 10,000 hours of work. I tend to agree with this. But, at the same time this work must be directed and often tested against agreed upon standards of excellence. Not many Americans are willing to do this. No patience, no sense of excellence when they live in a society where all the children are above average -- as Garrison Keeler would say.”No soapbox here, but it leads me to a man who was the above the 10,000 hr. "Master" challenge and more!

In 1969 I met Alan Chadwick and added serious dirt to my fingernails. Alan was the creator of the organic Garden at UCSC. I was a rock wall apprentice who learned much about the hard work that gardening is. For those who were touched by his genius, Alan Chadwick was larger than life. He taught and inspired more by his manner and his behavior than by his words alone. He takes his place among all of those we wish to honor in the ecology Hall of Fame, the favored ones, the transmitters of life.” He was also exceptionally stubborn and I was not entirely organically flavored at that time of my life. I moved on, learning what I could …but I will always flavor the instruction's he had begun and the tea break rewards he served.

You see I had grown plants for profit since I was twelve, but I never thought it as a vocation. I was groomed to be a History teacher; to work in psychology, do special teaching etc., but horticulture was never in the plan. Guess what happened?

Psychology had a few more tricks to play on me. After working at Agnews, I helped start a halfway house in Santa Cruz and went on to make a Community Resource Guide for mental help resources at that time. One such visit was to a clinic in Ben Lomand or Boulder Creek. A psychologist who also used Yoga to treat autistic children headed it, and. I was privileged to observe his work that day.
Ananda Sangha of the Redwoods of Boulder Creek Is perhaps a successor to his work and sadly I cannot remember his name. Whoever he was, he was a MASTER. A friend accompanied me, and the moment we entered his door, we were like flies caught in warm liquid honey. We could barely move until he came forward to release us. One meets such people only rarely.

My last such person was a nun in Boston. She too worked the psych wards of Mass General. A nun whose quieting soul made this “Flew over the Cuckoo Nest” nightmare endurable. Her simple presence would quiet even the most unendurable bedlam. She may not have been a Buddhist but she exemplified the following words.

“Your religion is  not the garb you wear outwardly, but the garment of light you weave around your heart. If you succeed in finding happiness in your soul, you will always carry with you a priceless treasure."
Paramhansa Yogananda. Good Words -- I had forgotten.

I did return to UCSC, wrote the paper. Quit college and burned everything. That is so  Sagittarian.

Today, I wish I had some of those notes and observances. The Boston adventure was a great one. I would return to Boston twenty years later, and that too was an adventure. This time I kept my notes. Some day when I am gray and old, I will take them out, watch them thaw, be warmed all over, and remember.
Like the locust, it seems I spurt in twenty-year cycles, and so like the grub I am, I eagerly await 2012!

And to answer the question, the gal above was neither my girlfriend, nor Linda. This was a picture of my Moldavian grandmother and her husband was equally as frightening. He was a stuntman.. My father was a Greco-Roman wrestler.

Despite all, I remain a good swimmer of life. I suspect that these "Masters" are dancers of life; there is a difference. I will have to read that 'Outlier' and find if it makes sense of my life cycles. I note that the review of the book was done on my birthday. In one year I will celebrate my 60 Th. It will be a conjunction of my 20-year cycles and twelve-year cycles. By 2003, I am certain that I will go in another direction. Friends like Bita and Jim help wake new horizons, new depths and perceptions in my soul. Good gardens of friends, are the foundations of new relationships -- sometimes our own.

© 2009 Herb Senft

Dedicated to Sid Wishnoff, my History Teacher at San Lorenzo High and despite my accolades to all those "MASTERS" above, he was the most important sensei of them all. This is for all those teachers whose students never got back to tell them THANKS!