Author: Central Gorge Master Gardeners
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Eliminate Barriers for better living
by Jim Black OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteer One of our new friends has used a wheelchair for years and manages well with it, thanks largely to his incredible wife and his own positive, can-do attitude. When we’re at their barrier-free home, it’s easy to forget he uses a wheelchair,…
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Seed Starting: What to know before you sow!
By Anne Gehrig, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener Volunteer When I was in second grade, our teacher challenged us to a seed-growing contest. I brought a marigold seed; my mother assured me it would be the fastest seed to sprout. For 2 weeks, the class watched anxiously as one seed after…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Anne Debbaut
Spotlight on Anne Debbaut: A Journey from Engineering to Master Gardening Anne Debbaut’s journey is a testament to the power of following one’s passions, even when they lead down unexpected paths. Despite not coming from a family of gardeners, Anne has always had an eye for landscape designs, colors, and plant types. Her early fascination…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Sandy Montag
Nothing is permanent except change. This statement by the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus is probably as true today as it was in 500 BC when the world was still flat and orbited by the sun. And today, just as there were then, there are those who resist change and others who view it as an…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Tracy Willet
This month’s Spotlight features the many facets of Columbia Gorge Master Gardener Tracy Willett. Tracy grew up in a New England community. When asked about her earliest gardening memories, she remembers that her parents grew “a few rose bushes and rhododendrons.” During World War II, her father was sent to work manufacturing DDT. She specifically…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Christine Purvis
From August 2024 This past year has been busy and exciting for Christine Purvis, her husband, Sam, and their sons, Asher and Eliot. They recently moved from Portland to Hood River to find outdoor adventure here in the gorge. When Christine is not homeschooling her boys, she is learning about her new hometown, enjoying outdoor…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Christie Bradley
From May 2024 Born and raised Hood River, local Christie Bradley enjoys gray diggers, animal rescue, pickleball, hiking, biking, and engaging in community alliances through Master Gardeners. She lived several places in Washington, Colorado, and Oregon, but was able to move back to Hood River when her husband got a job at Google in The…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Anne Saxby
From December 2023 A longtime resident of Hood River, Anne Saxby became interested in the Master Gardener program after enjoying several years of MG garden tours. Anne joined the program in 2005, the year that Hood River separated from Wasco County and established the Central Gorge Master Gardener Association. Anne’s interest in horticulture started years…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Sandi Rousseau
From November 2023 Sandi Rousseau moved from Hillsboro, Oregon to Hood River in March 2000. By 2003 she had joined the Columbia Gorge Master Gardeners, which at the time was a single chapter comprising Hood River and Wasco counties. In 2005, Hood River County formed their own chapter and Central Gorge Master Gardeners was born.…
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CGMGA Spotlight: John Stevens
From October 2023 John Stevens likes to look for color, height, texture and interest when checking out a landscape. He had this in mind when he and Master Gardener volunteers started the Waterwise project in front of the Hood River Library. It is a xeriscape format—a style of landscape design requiring little or no irrigation…