UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 26, Page 12
April 6, 1995
Master Gardener honored by New Castle County

     Peg Baseden's gardens today are miles away, both geographically
and philosophically, from the gardens of her childhood home in Kenya.
     Her English mother dotted the African landscape with the
primroses, lupines and snapdragons of her native country. Baseden, who
immigrated to the United States 35 years ago, said her own gardens
have been evolving away from the plants she learned at her mother's
knee toward a more ecologically sound use of native plants.
     "My gardens are wilder now," she laughed, so wild that her
backyard is a certified wildlife habitat that provides food and
shelter for a variety of insects, reptiles, birds and mammals.
     Baseden's gardening metamorphosis is due in large part to her
nine-year involvement with the University's Master Gardeners and her
exposure to horticulture classes in the Department of Plant and Soil
Sciences.
     "Environmentally correct" gardens that incorporate native plants
are a current passion of Baseden, who was recently voted Master
Gardener of the Year for the New Castle County group.
     "I got into Master Gardeners for selfish reasons," Baseden said.
"The free training is what interested me. Then, I got hooked on the
program."
     Baseden has since repaid her obligation of 40 hours of volunteer
work many times over, logging between 100-200 hours a year since
graduating in 1986.
     She's animated as she tells of another bargain she
discovered-that those over 60 can take University courses tuition-free
on a space-available basis. Enrolled as a sophomore in horticulture,
Baseden said, "It's a fantastic, great opportunity. I've gotten into
ecology and the environment and changed my gardening focus."
     As chairperson of the Schools Committee for the Master Gardeners,
Baseden is able to bring her new-found gardening philosophy to others.
Through the Delaware Teachers' Center, Master Gardeners offer
workshops that show elementary teachers how to incorporate gardening
and plants into their curricula.
     Baseden also has worked on the Master Gardeners telephone Garden
Line, conducted gardening workshops for the public and donated time to
tending the University gardens. But the Schools Program, begun in
1994, is her favorite aspect of volunteering.
     "The most significant and most fulfilling part of Master
Gardening is the whole environmental issue," she said. "I'd like to
help schools develop outdoor classrooms. Instead of lawns, schools
should have meadows and wetlands, use native plants and get more
environmentally oriented."
                                                        -Claire McCabe