Mike Ballweg, Agriculture Agent

Being a Master Gardener is about becoming a volunteer with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension to help educate the public about horticulture, gardening and natural resources. Master Gardener Volunteers work in tandem with Extension staff to deliver meaningful community programs to improve the well-being of individuals and communities. There are currently 76 MGVs in the Sheboygan County Master Gardener Association.

Highlights

• Extension MGVs continue to care for and expand the landscape diversity at the UWGB-Sheboygan
  Campus. The wide selection of horticultural plants serves as a learning place for both MGVs and
  visitors to the campus. Many of the annual flowers planted on campus are started in the campus
  greenhouse by MGVs.
• Sheboygan County MGVs utilized their horticultural expertise to enrich the Kohler Andrea State
  Park experience for park visitors. MGVs engagements over the years have included: transforming
  a poorly drained wet area into an educational rain garden, rearing and releasing purple loosestrife
  eating beetles (Gateruella sp.) within the park reducing invasive purple loosestrife, helped control
  other invasive plant species within the park, and assisted with landscape maintenance at the park’s
  visitor center.
• MGVs developed and maintain the Sensory Garden, designed to be enjoyed by people of all abilities is wheelchair accessible. The garden overlooks Rotary Riverview Park on Pennsylvania Avenue.
• Where else will you find MGVs in Sheboygan County – Old Plank Road Trailheads, Marsh Park
  Tower, Above and Beyond Children’s Museum Garden, Bookworm Gardens, Generations –
  Plymouth, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Camp Y-Koda, Meals on Wheels Vegetable Garden,
  October 11th Memorial and Dutch Settlement Historical Marker, Plymouth Arts Center, Senior
  Activity Center of Sheboygan, Sheboygan County Fair, Sheboygan South High School, Wade House
  and Yankee Garden-Sheboygan Falls.