|
|
|
Conversations for Action...the power training with the secret keys to effective communication Newsletter for Success Golf and Time Management Quick Tips
|
Beyond the Garden Gate Brad Sandy, Class of 2003 By Teri S. Merrill Gardeners are people filled with creative thoughts. We can envision brilliant, beautiful flowering beds on the edge of a hot, dusty driveway. We can imagine towering, expansive live oak trees where today may stand only small, twiggy undergrowth. We can
practically taste those plump, juicy tomatoes as we turn the pages of our favorite gardening magazine. But actually taking some of our creative ideas from the concept stage, to planning, to reality can be a task too daunting for even the most ambitious of us. Brad Sandy is an expert at taking a concept and making it reality for the Dallas County Master Gardener Association. He has served as chairman of the Dallas Home and Garden Show since 2004. At that time, master gardeners from Dallas, Collin and Denton counties presented information on a range of horticultural topics during speeches and
presentations that lasted up to an hour. These presentations were successful, but Brad saw that many of the visitors to the show weren’t interested in sitting for an hour or more to learn about gardening. Brad worked with a number of master gardeners in the Speakers’ Bureau to determine how to bring important information to the public in a faster, more precise format. Bunny Williams, then-chair of the Bureau, recognized that there are four basic gardening
topics that the public repeatedly shows interest in and informative talks should be designed around these topics, Brad explains. It was the beginning of the “micro-talk” concept—a creative format consisting of 20-minute talks on lawn care, tree care, appropriate plants for various locations, and
Waterwise gardening. Though fairly new to the Home and Garden Show and to the Association, these micro-talks have been incredibly well received and have resonated with the public, he says. Another idea that Brad helped implement from the Home and Garden Show was to highlight the existence and availability of the Master Gardener Help Desk. With increased use of the internet, calls to the desk have been decreasing over the years, he notes. At
the H&G Show this past March, large, colorful banners were used to advertise the existence of master gardeners and to promote the use of the desk among the public. It’s still too early to determine how effective the banners have been on increasing phone volume, Brad says, but he’s very hopeful that
continued usage will create more exposure. Brad says his interest in gardening began in earnest when a parishioner created a raised garden bed at his church in 2001. The woman was a landscape designer and developed and maintained the garden until she became sick and incapable of continuing the
project. Brad stepped in to help after the garden became overgrown and unattractive. The garden at that time consisted primarily of ground cover, and it lacked interesting detail, color and texture, he says. He slowly began tearing out the ground cover and adding perennial flowers and native shrubs. Another parishioner in his church came to him with an idea to use plants referenced in the Bible for the garden. They researched the possibilities and found that
common plants, such as garlic, leeks, lilies, cedar trees, and a number of flowers and herbs could be added to create a Biblical link. The garden is known “The Mary Garden,”
and it continues to flourish at St. Mathias Church in Dallas, he says. As with all gardens, there is a lot of waste and debris that typically ends up in the compost pile, Brad says. He thought that some of the leftover roses, lavender, rosemary, basil and other herbs could be put to better use. Today, because of his idea,
church members create potpourri “pillows” to give to visitors and to take to patients at various hospitals, he says. Gardening fits perfectly with his philosophy to life, Brad says. One step, one task, one plant at a time…and soon enough, there’s an entire garden. “It has been rewarding to watch how one good idea can take hold and cascade to create another good idea. I enjoy seeing how one step can lead to another step and then wonder where it may all end up,” he says. copyright Helping Hands - Dallas County Master Gardener newsletter |
|
Send mail to brad.sandy - at - 800sell.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
The Zen masters say, "One day with a master is better than reading 1000 books." You can improve your sales and develop a life long strategy that
puts you in the 20% category.