Every Wednesday morning — in rain, snow or sunshine — a hearty band of gardeners meets to work at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati in Avondale. Under the direction of horticulturist Jim Hansel, volunteers work diligently to turn the center's Hauck Botanic Garden into a horticultural marvel.

        While digging, pruning, planting, replanting, raking and weeding, the volunteers have become great friends. Many of the group are Master Gardeners who started their service while earning internship hours. Others have benefited from learning on site.

INFORMATION

To learn more about volunteering at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, call 221-0981.

        For the last few years, the group has taken a June trip to some well-known botanical garden. They've visited the Cleveland BotanicalGarden, Secrest Arboretum and Chicago Botanic Garden. This year,they traveled to the Missouri Botanic Garden and Shaw Nature Reserve in St. Louis.

        “It truly was inspiring to visit these gardens and come back to work at the Hauck Botanic Garden,” says volunteer Fran Turner.

        In the July/August issue of American Gardener, thepublication of the American Horticultural Society, the Hauck Botanic Garden is listed as one of North America's top “secret” gardens.

        Mr. Hansel hopes the Hauck Botanic Garden becomes a society-accredited garden, known for highlighting plants suitable for Greater Cincinnati. He wants to focus on building collections of plants found in home gardens rather than on collections of exotic plants.

        This will involve more extensive labeling of plants in the garden, hands-on classes and walking tours.

       Contact Peg St. Clair by phone: 541-4680; Web site: www.gardenersnetwork.org.
       
       

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