2014 Gardeners of the Year
Gardening is its own reward. True enthusiasts value all aspects of the never-ending process of cultivating a beautiful, healthy garden.
However, there are extraordinary gardeners among us who demonstrate exceptional passion for the art of gardening. These gardeners seek to actively promote gardening and community landscape projects through participating in Bay Area gardening clubs. Every year, Navlet’s honors these phenomenal Bay Area gardeners with the Bert A. Bertolero Award, for inspiring both recreational gardeners and nursery professionals alike in the joy of gardening.
Marian Woodard
Pleasant Hill Garden Study Club
For the past twenty years, Marian has lived in a townhouse in Pleasant Hill. For the vast majority of that time, Marian was a “non-gardener”. That changed in 2009, however, when she discovered the 'Old Garden Plot’ in Pleasant Hill. This experience ignited a passion to create healthy and sustainable gardens for herself and others. Her deck now has thirty Earthboxes with edibles growing year round. With the help of her husband, John, and a pick and jackhammer, they converted a sloping side yard into four terraced planting areas for more edibles. In 2012, they approached the Pleasant Hill Park and Recreation Department about establishing a community garden at Roger’s Ranch returning it to its 1860 farming roots.
Today, Marian directs the Urban Farming efforts at Rogers Ranch. At Diablo Valley College, her ‘From The Farm To Table’ coarse is a requirement for all culinary arts students. Marian continues to expand her knowledge by branching out into permaculture with the recently completed design course.
Eileen Rice
Blackhawk Bloomers Garden Club
Eileen has been a member of the Blackhawk Bloomers Garden Club since 2006 and just recently completed her second term as President. She, with the help of her son Patrick, manage the Blackhawk Bloomer's website, along with publishing the club's newsletter. Eileen established the 'Dig in the Dirt Program' at the Tassajara Hills Elementary School, where she is a teacher's aid.
The 'Dig in the Dirt' program is a regular gathering of Blackhawk Bloomers club members to maintain the school's courtyard beds and to plant edibles. Eileen is an “Old School” gardener who likes to thin and divide plants, along with harvesting and saving seeds. She is the Blackhawk Bloomers resident horticulturalist when it comes to plant identification, insects, and herbs. In her yard, she is battling the “Wild Turkeys” of Danville and few of the neighboring “Wild Pigs” of San Ramon.
Congratulations to Marian and Eileen from all of us at Navlet’s Garden Centers!
