Faulkner County Master Gardeners will be on hand to introduce the public to the program at a “Meet the Master Gardeners” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, at the Natural Resources Center at 110 S. Amity Road in Conway. The public is invited to review displays of current local projects and ask questions about the program. Faulkner County training coordinators Norma Crass and Mary Wells will review requirements and membership commitments. Anyone who is interested in joining the Master Gardener group is encouraged to attend this informative event. 
The training program, which consists of seven day-long classes, will be held at the Natural Resources Center on Tuesdays from Sept. 22 to Nov. 2. It is a prerequisite for membership in the Master Gardener program.
The course gives participants an overview of all aspects of gardening and horticulture from basic botany and plant diseases to composting and landscaping. Participants will also become acquainted with the ongoing Master Gardener landscaping projects in Faulkner County and will be trained as auxiliary resources for the local extension service office.
A training committee has been meeting since January to prepare the program for the 2009 training course. The individual sessions, some of which will be held off-site at Heifer Ranch in Perryville as well as local gardens and nurseries, will be conducted by Master Gardeners and University of Arkansas Extension staff. Other gardening experts involved in the training include Janet Carson, Extension horticulture specialist; Dena Culberson, owner of Culberson Greenhouses in Mayflower; Jeb Leggett, owner of Custom Landscaping & Nursery in Mount Vernon; Kami Marsh, Faulkner County Extension agent; and Ed Brown, Perry County Extension agent. 
In return for this in-depth training, Master Gardeners are required to continue their gardening education and contribute a minimum number of volunteer hours to local projects. In 2008, 125 active members of Faulkner County Master Gardeners contributed 7,800 of volunteer hours to the community and received 3,527 hours of continuing gardening education.
For additional information, please call the Faulkner County Extension office at 501.329.8344. Conway County does not have an active Master Gardener Program but citizens who want to participate in the program, train with Faulkner County.