A gang from Master Gardeners of the Mission Valley gathered at the bump-outs on the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue in Polson recently to carefully tuck young native plants into the soil.

The seven-member crew are graduates of the Montana Master Gardener Program offered last fall by Agriculture and Horticulture Agent Patrick Mangan from the MSU Extension Flathead Reservation Office.

The class, typically offered twice a year, trains volunteers to provide “unbiased, research-based horticulture and gardening information” to their community.

According to Kathy Fletcher, around 15 people participated in the fall training and formed Master Gardeners of the Mission Valley, which held its first meeting in January.

“This is our first project that we've done,” she said, gesturing to the new plantings on the two corners. Members will continue to show up each week to give the young plants a deep drink and keep weeds at bay.

Fletcher said the group is also spearheading a project at Providence St. Joseph Assisted Living Center on 17th Avenue. So far, they’ve “rejuvenated” four raised beds at the back of the facility, and added compost and soil.

“We're going to go back and put vegetables and flowers in with the residents,” she said.  

According to Fletcher, the Master Gardeners program has two components. The first is to educate local garden enthusiasts through the coursework, and the second is “to get out in the community and help with horticultural projects.”

Fletcher says they had committed to the St. Joe’s project first and hadn’t intended to work on two at once. However, when they were approached by PEO members, who are trying to recruit volunteers to care for the bump-outs on Main Street, they decided “yeah, we can do that too.”

“We decided to turn this into a native planting to be like a demonstration garden that would show the name of the plants and as they grow, what they look like and promote native gardening,” she explained.

Plants include Prairie Junegrass, Silverleaf Phacelia, Clarkia, Hairy Golden Aster and Narrowleaf Echinacea. All are native to western Montana and include a mix of annuals that reseed themselves and perennials.

They acquired the plants from Pipilo Natives, a small nursery near Charlo.

PEO member Suz Rittenhouse, who helps recruit volunteers to care for the Main Street plantings, said she’s exceedingly grateful for their help. With more than 40 beds, dispersed between four intersections, it can be challenging to find enough people to keep weeds down and plants thriving during the summer.

It’s an all-volunteer undertaking, and people “are getting older and kind of dropping out,” Rittenhouse said. “It's frustrating because it's just such a positive thing for the city.”

To lend a hand to the gardening efforts on Main Street, reach out to Rittenhouse at [email protected]. For more information on the Master Gardeners program, reach out to Mangan at 406-210-9843 or [email protected].

“These corners will look wonderful – I'm just really happy and really impressed,” Rittenhouse said of the Master Gardeners’ efforts. “Boy, they just dug right in.”

    A triumphant Jeanne Doepke shows off a weed she skillfully extricated from a bump-out on Main Street in mid-May. Members of the local PEO chapter diligently work to keep weeds out and flowers and native plants thriving each summer season, and always volunteers. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
  

    Kris Nordberg, a member of the Mission Valley Master Gardener Assoc., tenderly tucks a tiny native plant in a bump-out at the corner of Main St. and Third Ave. in Polson. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)