Samuel Lucas was awarded the 2012 Warren Garden Club $500 scholarship. He plans to attend Penn State University to major in petroleum and natural gas engineering. Lucas' main goal is to become a good steward of our natural resources of oil and gas and at the same time care for the environment conscientiously.
By working on a farm, Lucas learned to care for the land and utilize its offerings. As a high school student he got a job with a local oil company, where he learned how to produce oil and at the same time be careful of the environment. With this background and his interest in calculus and physics, he decided he qualified for a scholarship developed for conservation, environmental control and land management.
Sally Asbury, Master Gardener, was the guest speaker at the annual Warren Garden Club picnic held at Betts Park Aug. 16. Master Gardeners are the adult volunteer branch of the Penn State Cooperative Extension. Their main function is to educate and teach others to enjoy gardening.
Article Photos
Sam Lucas receiving the Warren Garden Club
scholarship from Eunice Herrington,
chairman of the scholarship committee.
Master Gardeners are held to Penn State policies. They must complete classes, take a test and complete 50 hours of volunteer work the first year to be certified. After that the volunteer requirements are 20 hours a year.
The Master Gardeners maintain a demonstration garden at Betts Park. Asbury led a tour through the garden. She explained how the garden initially started at the Warren State Hospital grounds with an Eagle Scout building raised beds outside the greenhouse. At that time Penn State received a grant to test seeds supplied by seed growers. They were started at the college and distributed to various Master Gardeners across the state to monitor the plants' reaction to soil, wind and bugs.
When they lost the availability of a water supply at the Warren State Hospital, the Master Gardeners negotiated with the City of Warren to move the garden to Betts Park. Bill Bloomquist, then coordinator of the group, designed the garden.
The demonstration garden is a way to showcase new plants and test different varieties. Last year a native and two hybrid varieties of Obedient, Hyssops and Sneezeweed were introduced. Next year they will be monitored to determine which variety the bees like best. This year various types of Amaranthus were planted with seeds started by Ekeys. The demonstration garden is the Master Gardeners' face to Warren County.
On Sept. 10, the Warren Garden Club will host the District VIII Annual Meeting of the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania. This event will be held at the Conewango Club. Celia Knapp will be the featured speaker with her program "Monet's Garden."